Naruto: Reborn
by GolaMosca
Summary: After a brutal assault at the hands of Konoha, Naruto is reborn, forged into a weapon to change fate. A path waits before him, many obstacles lie ahead. Will he lead the world to salvation? Or will he bring its people to their knees? NEWNAMENEEDED.PLZHELP
1. Life

**Naruto Reborn.**

_After a brutal assault at the hands of Konoha, Naruto is Reborn, forged into a weapon to change fate. A path waits before him, many obstacles lie ahead. Will he lead the world to salvation? Or will he bring it's people to their knees?_

For * marks, refer to the translation addendum at the end of the chapter for an explanation.

* * *

**Chapter One : Life**_._

It was an atrocity. That was the only fitting description of what lay before him.

He had expected it to be devastating, and he was not mistaken. The few warriors still alive strewn about the forest moaned and clutched at their wounds, lamenting the fate of their lost comrades.

The monstrous demon had decimated their forces, the Konohagakure ninja doing little to assuage the attack of the fearsome, rampaging devil. He had watched the entire time, his grey eyes cold and impassive, aiding neither side.

Just as he was ordered.

The man, clothed in a tattered, dark cloak, made his way to the bleeding, broken form of the person he had been sent to see. This would be their second meeting, the first having been several days earlier.

He removed the hood covering his head, silver hair spilling out as he gazed into the features of the Yondaime Hokage. A wound just shy of his yellow hairline leaked blood down his perfectly sculpted face. He was near death, it would be only minutes before his heart would cease its erratic beating.

The Yondaime looked into the grey eyes of the Jikogiseishi*, and gave a pained smile, gently lifting a bundle of cloth with his uninjured arm.

"I...I wasn't sure...if I would see you again," the Yondaime spoke softly. "Know what I mean?"

He knelt next to the dying Hokage, the silver pendant at his neck sparkling wonderful, and retrieved the bundle, shifting the rough-spun fabric to get a better look at the child nestled within.

"Will...will he be okay?"

The Jikogiseishi studied the fading seal on the baby's abdomen. It was a work of art, speaking to the Hokage's masterful skill at _fuuinjutsu_. Black rings encircled and entwined with each other, strings of handwritten characters binding the seal together, chaining the beast inside.

"He will not die anytime soon, if that is what you are asking. Not from this."

The Yondaime shook his head slowly. "I... I know that. A-After all... He's got you...watching over him."

"The village, then."

"Y-yes..."

He hesitated, choosing his words carefully.

"They won't like him, obviously, the ones who already know. He will be reviled... But there will be a few who will think otherwise, the younger or more open-minded."

The dying Hokage chuckled softly. In his visage, he could see all that the Hokage was, all that he felt and loved and lost. "Did you see that...with those eyes of yours? What his life would be like?"

"...I am not-"

"I know," the Yondaime interrupted. "Even if you could tell me... It would be better ...if I did not know..." He spat out a mouthful of blood.

The Jikogiseishi put his hand on the Hokage's shoulder. It wouldn't hurt to let the man die with some semblance of peace. "He will do great things... Save many lives... That much, I can tell you."

A wide, beaming smile etched itself on the Yondaime's face, made no less brilliant by the blood staining his mouth.

"I don't know...if you're saying that to placate me or not... But either way...thank you. Will you do everything you can...to protect him?"

He nodded. "That is my duty, as his Nakitama Fukei*, the one who guards his spirit from harm. " He raised one finger, it's perfectly manicured nail beginning to shine vibrantly. "Though not for some time will I present myself."

"Is that his...?"

"Yes, I thought you would want to see it done before you pass on."

The Jikogiseishi brought the nail to the baby's chest, just above the heart. He muttered a few words under his breath, words that the Yondaime could not hear.

He pushed the sharp, glowing fingernail against the infant, breaking through the skin, drawing blood. The baby started to wail in pain, it's cries piercing the deathly quiet forest.

The Jikogiseishi dipped his nail in the blood and carved a circle around the cut, then a pentacle within it, centered on the wound. A few more incomprehensible phrases and the mark glowed softly, before fading away. Thin wisps of red aura threaded over the wound, knitting the flesh back together.

"The Kenshugo* is complete. It will safeguard him."

The Yondaime sighed with satisfaction. "That is a welcomed relief, my friend."

He nodded in return and lay the baby down on his father's chest. "I did nothing more than what I was obligated to."

The Jikogiseishi stood and turned to leave. "It is time. They are almost here."

"Wait..." the Hokage said weakly. "Before you leave... You never told me you name..."

"My name...? I am... Shiryou."

The cloaked man continued walking, his tattered cloak fluttering in the breeze, his silver pendant gleaming in the moonlight. His form wavered, the outline of his body blurring and slowly whipping out of existence in the wind.

The Hokage laughed quietly. "Shiryou, huh...? Is that supposed to be a joke...?"*

He watched the Jikogiseishi walk out into the forest until he faded completely, then turned his eyes on his newborn son.

"Naruto... Uzumaki Naruto... That's a good name for a hero..." Minato Namikaze mused softly, his eyes dimming. The sound of rapid footsteps signaling the arrival of the search party, members sidestepping or leaping over the other corpses to get to their sovereign.

"A hero...of Konoha..."

* * *

Naruto had always enjoyed the rain.

For as long as he could remember, the sight of the small droplets of moisture cascading down upon the landscape had brought him peace.

There weren't many things that brought Naruto peace. Most of his days had been spent alone, or fleeing from the angry mobs that formed every so often to punish him for yet another crime he had not committed.

A harvest hadn't been fruitful enough.

Business at restaurants, inns, or shops was doing poorly.

Someone experienced a bout of misfortune.

But he had become quite used to the beatings. He was only seven, and he'd been pursued, assaulted, and left to die more times than he could recall. For once, he had wished they would finish what they had started so many times before...

But it was never enough. He would always survive, just barely managing to recover.

Sometimes those involved were caught, and punished harshly by a severely enraged Hokage. Other times, there weren't any witnesses.

None that would speak, at least.

Naruto placed a hand on his chest as a dull ache struck him. It was an uncomfortable, burning pain that he would get once every so often, though he did not know why. He had written it off as just another unfortunate circumstance he was forced to endure.

Occasionally, Naruto would wonder why the Sandaime Hokage, and a few of his jounin, were so adamant about his wellbeing. They were more protective of it than himself.

Once, when Naruto was no older than five, he attempted to end his own life, by slitting his wrist. He passed out after a few minutes, only to wake up days later in the hospital, the Hokage sleeping soundly in a nearby chair. He had received a strong lecture afterwards, and was enrolled in the Ninja Academy the day after he left the hospital.

Naruto suspected that it was not only for his safety, but for the Sandaime's own peace of mind.

A few months ago, after a particularly intense assault, the Hokage had a squad of four ANBU ninja charged with guarding him from possible future attacks. Most of the time, they stayed in the shadows, but occasionally they would talk to him, mostly about trivial matters or briefing him of suspicious activities. He would intermittently learn things about him, and they likewise, but more than anything, they were an irritation.

And now he was here, in his small apartment, under the watchful eyes of Konohagakure no Sato's finest.

Naruto glanced at the clock above his bed. The face read 9:57.

He ground his teeth together. His patience was being tested to its limits.

_'I can't... I don't want this anymore...'_

He didn't care. Not about the villagers, their threats, or the beatings. He needed one night, _one_, to do as he pleased. Without being under the leash of the ANBU, even if it put him under the whip of his tormentors.

Naruto couldn't leave while being watched, and the only time the eyes of an ANBU weren't boring into his skull were the few precious moments during the shift change. Only one ANBU watched Naruto whilst he slept, who was replaced by another at exactly 10 p.m.

He had been feigning sleep for quite a while, watching as outside his window the darkened sky continued to pour down a relentless volley of droplets. He faintly saw the ANBU ninja perched on the roof of a building about a block away, watching his apartment building like a hawk.

He believed it to be the only female member of his guards, but he couldn't be sure.

Naruto checked the clock again, this time indicating 9:59. He returned his attention to the possibly-female ANBU, just soon enough to witness a stealthy figure leaping from rooftop to rooftop at a rapid clip. Naruto lifted the sheets of his bed just a hair, waiting for the optimum moment.

And, just as the replacement ANBU's foot hit the final rooftop, Naruto sprung into action.

The soft sound was just enough to draw the female ANBU's attention for a fraction of a second. He shoved a spare pillow under his bedsheets, slid open the window on the opposite wall, and climbed out, dropping silently onto the small veranda of the floor below.

He held his breath in quiet anticipation, the raindrops pounding on his head, searching for any sign that his ruse had been discovered. After nearly two minutes of silence, he decided it was safe enough to continue.

Careful of his footing, he dropped down the two floors to the ground, landing as quietly as possible, before sneaking off into the shadows for his night of blissful freedom.

* * *

Naruto felt so relaxed. All tension, anxiety, and anger melting away as the rain wet his hair and dampened his attire, a pair of straw-colored shorts and a black shirt, the Konoha spiral emblazoned on its' front.

_'Where do I go?' _Naruto wondered to himself. _'What do I see first?'_

He was aware this reprieve wouldn't last long, in a few hours the ANBU would grow suspicious. Naruto had a tendency move around in his sleep, a fact that the ANBU were sure to know. But regardless, he had his wish.

First he went to a small lake within the village, reclining back with his feet in the cool water, steadying himself with his arms. He looked up at the overcast sky, still dispelling rain over the entirety of Konoha.

A bolt of lightning streaked through the clouds, cleaving the sky in two as it lit the heavens with its brilliant glow. Moments later, a sonorous boom of thunder echoed out over the land.

Beautiful.

* * *

After leaving the lake, Naruto wandered through the empty streets, his sandals dangling loosely from his left hand as he walked barefoot.

He looked through the dark windows of various shops, everyone having closed up due to the storm. Naruto gave particular attention to the businesses that catered to ninja.

Clothing boutiques with racks and shelves of battle wear, some fantastically elaborate and some more practical. The walls of an armament shop covered in the glittering steel of weapons of every imaginable shape and size. A bookstore that carried everything from scrolls, to the latest Bingo books, to the popular Icha Icha series of romantic novels. The wisdom of why adult literature was sold at a bookshop geared to ninja eluded him.

If Naruto hadn't been so distracted by the vast selection of commodities, he might have noticed the middle-aged man staggering out of a nearby alley in a drunken stupor.

* * *

Tenki had been out at one of the few open bars in the village, after his shift at the restaurant had finally ended. He had engaged in a drinking match with a few of his friends, a pointless display of who could tolerate more of the vile, cheap alcohol they guzzled. Once he could no longer recall his own name, he decided it would be best to go home before the storm, and his intelligence, worsened any further.

_'Ugh... Too much... My head is pounding,'_ he thought to himself.

An intense wave of nausea racked his body, forcing Tenki to stumble into a narrow alley and void the contents of his stomach.

He wiped the bile from his mouth with the back of his hand, and proceeded to trudge shakily out of the passageway. Tenki looked up, his eyes dull and clouded with intoxication, and saw a young boy, peering into a window less than twenty meters away from where he stood.

_'Huh...? Is it...demon child?'_Tenki panicked, before realizing the situation._ 'Yes... It _is_, without his babysitters to watch over him.'_

Even in his drunken state, Tenki wouldn't give up a chance to beat the demon spawn to a bloody, broken pulp. He hurried drunkenly back to his hovel of an apartment to equip himself with a suitable tool.

_

* * *

_

'It's unfortunate all nights can't be like this,'

Naruto thought pensively. He winced as a sharp twinge of pain stabbed at his chest. He braced himself against the wall of a convenience shop until the pain gradually lessened, then faded completely.

He had visited everywhere he had desired, accompanied by nothing but his own thoughts. By now, the ANBU had surely discovered his ruse, reported to the Sandaime, and begun searching for him. There was nothing left for him to do than return home and face his reprimand.

Naruto rounded a corner, only a few blocks from his apartment, and walked straight into a foul-smelling oaf of a man.

There was a vicious bloodlust that gleamed in his eyes as he advanced towards the child.

* * *

"I am far too old for this nonsense."

The great Sandaime Hokage Sarutobi Hiruzen of Konohagakure no Sato, revered as one of the most powerful and wise shinobi in the history of the _Shinobi Godaikoku_, reduced to overseeing the search of a missing child. He stood up from behind his desk and began to pace the floor of his office.

He was supposed to have other people do these kinds of things for him. He was supposed to have people that had their _own_ people to do this for him.

Of course, this was Naruto, a special case. He could never be sure who could be trusted when it came to matters involving the blonde-haired child. Many ninja still harbored a deep-seated anger at the Kyuubi no Youko. An anger that was not unwarranted...

Twenty minutes earlier, the ANBU squad he had guarding Naruto reported that he had been able to slip away, most likely during the shift-change. At first, he marveled at how a seven year old was able to fool some of the most elite ninja in the entire village, and then he began to worry about his safety.

It was past midnight, so Naruto had been absent for over two hours. The aged Hokage was certain he was still within the village walls, so minutes ago he had ordered the four ANBU of Naruto's guard to radiate out from the apartment and search until he was found.

Sarutobi made his way to the large window that spanned the back wall of his office.

_'Where are you Naruto...?'_He thought concernedly. The rain pelted against the armored plate-glass window, obscuring the view of Konoha.

_'Where...?'_

* * *

Naruto listened to the man as he walked away, muttering to himself in a mix of confusion and a rush of adrenaline-fueled excitement.

He coughed up another mouthful of blood onto his ruined shirt. He tentatively examined his already-healing wounds. There were several minor stabs, slashes, and bruises; but were not anything to cause him worry.

A deep gash on his right hip was leaking blood, but that would clear in a few days. His left wrist and several bones in his hand were broken after his attacker thoughtfully crushed it under his heel. That would need a week or so.

As Naruto's hand found its way to his chest, he discovered what caused him to panic more than any of his other injuries.

The thick blade of an old kitchen knife, snapped off near the hilt, was buried deep into his chest. He had been stabbed in the heart before, not this deep, but it had always healed.

Of course, there had been nothing to obstruct the healing process, such as the thick blade of a kitchen knife. He tried to pull it out, but only succeeded in moving it a few centimeters before his strength ebbed away. He was too weak to remove it, and if it was not removed, his body would not be able to heal.

As Naruto faded into unconsciousness, he wondered if this time he would actually die. He was not sure if he should be scared. He didn't feel frightened, more...curious_,_ if anything.

_'Death... I wonder...'_

And then there was darkness, and he thought nothing more.

* * *

Naruto clutched at his throbbing head, thankful for the low lighting of wherever he now was.

He studied his surroundings: He was in a sort of passageway; dark, dingy, and bleak. Reminiscent of a sewer, pipes snaking across the ceiling and a heavy, thick stench of something he couldn't describe. Not altogether unpleasant, just different then what he was used to.

The passage was neither narrow nor broad, nor squat nor lofty. It was of an average size, nothing particularly remarkable about it.

He attempted to get to his feet, but his aching skull and lost sense of balance made it impossible to stand. On his third effort, he managed to get his shoulder against the wall for support.

_'If this is what death is... I would rather be alive,' _the young blonde mused. Though he wrote it off to his imagination, he believed he heard a faint chuckle of amusement.

Slowly, to avoid losing his footing, Naruto made his way down the passage.

Several minutes of sluggish trudging brought him before a slimmer hallway that branched off of the main passageway. The pain behind Naruto's eyes began to lessen considerably.

He made his way down the second corridor, at the end of which a blinding light glowed, radiating a pleasing warmth. Naruto shielded his eyes and continued forward, the light gradually lessening until he had passed it completely.

Naruto opened his eyes and peered around. He was in a well-lit, medium-sized chamber with a ridiculously high ceiling. Behind him was the entrance to the passageway, bright glow obstructing any view of the hallway beyond.

Ahead of him lay a massive golden cage set into the wall, reaching up to the ceiling. Where the gates of the cage met, near eye-level, was attached a small slip of paper, the character for 'seal' inked onto its surface.

"What...?" Naruto was confused. Was this the afterlife? If so, then so far it was nothing like what he had expected. Was it some sort of trauma-induced dream? Or perhaps a nightmare?

"Am I...actually dead...?" Naruto asked aloud.

He did not expect an answer, but a few moments later he received one.

**"Yes... For now, anyway,"** a deep, rumbling voice answered back. It echoed from beyond the bars of the cage, each syllable permeated by an unmistakable sense of power.

Naruto shivered as he felt the waves of energy ripple out from the golden cage. Two orbs of blood-red light burned like hot coals, focusing their gaze on the frozen body of the young blond. Naruto glanced timidly into the red eyes of the unseen monster contained within the cage.

Yes, _monster_, that was an appropriate description. It's burning red eyes, bone-white teeth, the massive energy only barely contained by the golden bars. He could faintly see nine tails swaying in the shadows. Monster seemed the only suitable word to define it.

Naruto felt a weight form in the pit of his stomach. His heartbeat quickened, breath came in halted gasps. He began to feel what he had known for the longest time; inescapable, uncompromising, all-encompassing _fear._

He dropped to his knees, unable to stand the pressure the energy exuded. A cold sweat beaded at his brow and a chill crept through his limbs.

**"Is **_**that**_** all it takes to force you to your knees?" **the monster inquired, a noticeable tone of disappointment present in its voice. Tendrils of red energy writhed along the floor of the chamber, snaking toward Naruto's huddled form.

**"I don't see what's so special about this little brat, Shiryou. Are you sure about him?"**

_"Obviously. I just would have let him pass on otherwise."_

Naruto forced his head to turn back to the entrance of the passageway, where this new voice resonated from.

Out of the blinding light materialized a silver-haired man, clothed in a tattered black cloak. A sparkling four-point silver pendant dangled at his neck, a blue gem at its center.

"And if you wouldn't mind, rein in that chakra of yours," the man asked pleasantly. "He can barely even move."

The monster grumbled irritably and withdrew its chakra, the red tendrils of energy thrashed in protest before receding into the cage.

Naruto gradually regained control of his body. He stood shakily to his feet and wiped the sweat from his face. Just as he had regulated his breathing, Naruto felt the hand of the silver-haired stranger rest on his shoulder.

"Don't let him get to you. He's like that with most everyone." The man had an odd way about him. He seemed focused and completely in control, yet also quite cheerful and easygoing.

If Naruto looked hard enough, he could see a faint shimmer that enveloped the stranger. A soft aura of both shadow and light that seemed to dance around him.

"What it- uh, _he _said..." Naruto began awkwardly.

"He was not lying. You are deceased, in all ways that matter."

The reality of it at last struck him. He was departed from this world, and now that he knew this, he was no longer curious. He wanted to be among the living once more. Sure, he had, until recently, a morbid fascination with death, a lot of people did, he assumed, but now that he crossed the chasm that separated life and death, he was more terrified than he had been for a very long time.

He paced away, each step theatrical as he spoke in an exaggerated Shakespearean manner. "Yes, _death_ is what has befallen you, caused by the blade stuck deep in your chest. That is unimportant for now," he continued normally, casually running a hand through his silver hair. The way he spoke those words, so _dismissively_ and _casual_, angered Naruto to an extent he had never experienced in his entire existence.

"What do you _mean_ 'unimportant'? This is my _life_... Why are you talking about it so insensitively?"

The man closed his eyes, a faint hint of annoyance flitted across his features.

"I say _'unimportant_' because it _is_ unimportant. If we are speaking truthfully it is not your _life_, it is your _death_. I speak about it _insensitively_ because after your time here is done it will be made so that you are no longer dead."

He answered each query with a response that was both absolute and unwavering, allowing no room for argument. "So it is as I said, _'unimportant.''_"

Naruto fell silent. This strange man was offering him a second chance at life, a chance he would take without hesitation.

"Now, in the moment after your heart stopped beating, but _before_ your brain ceased to function completely, I forced you to recede into the deepest part of your subconscious. Since the brain is capable of interpreting information at unbelievable speeds, I merely caused your perception of time to become skewed so we could have what equate to a few minutes of conversation before you must be revived."

"The reason I called you here is both to inform you of the past and the future." He studied Naruto carefully. "But, before that, introductions are needed."

Naruto fidgeted slightly before finding his voice. "U-Uzumaki Naruto."

"Ah, greetings Naruto-kun," he replied elegantly, following with graceful, sweeping bow. His actions changed so randomly, so wildly, he was a difficult man to size up. "I am Shiryou, and I am very pleased to make your acquaintance."

"S-Shiryou...? Is that supposed to be a joke?"

Shiryou gave an embarrassed laugh and scratched his head. "Yes, it is misleading, I admit. A name that means 'a dead person's spirit', for the spirit of a man who has died."

He turned and gestured at the gilded bars of the massive cage. "And that glowing ball of sunshine is the Kyuubi no Youko."

**"I am displeased to be anywhere near you,"** he answered with a tone of mock courtesy.

Shiryou grimaced and patted Naruto's shoulder. "He's not really that bad, it's just in his nature to be a bit... Well, unpleasant."

Naruto glanced at the crimson eyes of the demon fox.

"But we were told, the _village_ that is... That seven years ago, the Yondaime Hokage killed the Kyuubi no Kitsune..."

"And now is where I tell you about the past. It is true that seven years ago the Kyuubi no Youko attacked Konohagakure no Sato, and it is true that the Hokage fought it, and it is true that he himself died," Shiryou explained. "But, he died due to the use of a certain technique, not at the hands of the Kyuubi."

**"Paws."**

"Don't argue semantics. This technique, the Shiki Fuuin, had the ability to seal away the soul of someone at the cost of its users life. The Yondaime, who knew perfectly well that the Kyuubi's soul was too massive and powerful to be ripped from its shell completely, used it to contain the Yang energy within a newborn child, one with no parents or family. The Yin energy, far more potent and destructive, he took with himself into the belly of the Shinigami."

"The newborn child, as I'm sure you've realized, was you, Uzumaki Naruto-kun."

The young blonde nodded weakly. It certainly explained some things. His somewhat feral appearance, ravenous appetite, unnatural healing ability. Of course, the mystery of why he had received so many beatings was now clear.

**"And it was so difficult to discern the answer, Shiryou. I'm sure your proud of your charge."**

"Quiet, you glorified furball. Now, before you go and get too mad at either the Kyuubi or the Yondaime, listen for a while longer. Six days prior to the attack, before the village had any inkling that the Kyuubi would attack, I appeared before the Yondaime and he only. I told him of my duty and my mission, and afterwards we devised the plan that has led to the life you have lived thus far. You were chosen for three separate reasons to contain the Kyuubi no Youko. A child was needed, you had no family, and we had very little time."

"As I'm sure you're aware from the schooling you've had up until now, the chakra pathways develop rapidly after birth.

Naruto struggled to recall the lesson. "Chakra coils present themselves three to five days after birth and fully mature by age three."

"Exactly, so only an undeveloped chakra system could evolve to contain the Kyuubi. An adult would not last longer than two weeks. Secondly, you had no family. The Yondaime couldn't bear to ask any parent of Konoha to give up their child for this, so an orphan would have to be used."

Naruto nodded again. It made sense. He probably would have done the same.

"And, for those two reasons, coupled with the lack of time, you were the _only _option. Now, what you have to understand is that the Kyuubi was not sealed within you merely to protect Konohagakure no Sato, it was also to protect the Kyuubi himself."

**"I had said beforehand I needed no protection."**

"Yes, and look where _that_ got you."

Shiryou turned his gaze back upon Naruto, who had adopted a thoughtful yet confused expression.

"Protect...the Kyuubi no Kitsune?"

"Yes. You see, it is not the Kyuubi's, nor most demons' incentive to blindly attack and destroy humans. Kyuubi was being controlled, forced to commit atrocities that should never befall anyone."

"Controlled? By who?"

"By a man who was being led around like a puppet on its strings. You see Naruto, where there is good, there must be evil. It is unfortunate and regrettable, but it is true. I am part of a group of spirits that call ourselves the Doushikai*. The Doushikai uphold the order of the world from behind a veil, concealing our presence whenever possible. My position was originally a Jikogiseishi, a warrior sent to do battle against the evil and keep it in check."

Shiryou rubbed his hands together nervously and paced the floor for a moment before continuing.

"Seven years ago, after a Jouten Kaishu* had been held, a meeting of our superiors, I was chosen to be your Nakitama Fukei. The man who orchestrated the Kyuubi's attack is called Akuryou. He is a man of unimaginable cruelty nearly equaled by his extraordinary strength. He was once one of the Doushikai, but he was unable to resist the lure of the power he could obtain if he let darkness consume him."

"He was overcome by pure hate, his own mind flailing in the grasp of what he allowed to take control. He now wishes to spread as much death and despair as possible, vying to wrest total control of the world and turn it into his plaything for his personal amusement."

"Through the body of one Madara Uchiha, Akuryou forced the Kyuubi to submit to his will and decimate the village. Fortunately, Kyuubi was sealed away before it got too serious, and I placed a Kenshugo on you to prevent Akuryou from locking on to the spiritual energy the Kyuubi exudes.

Naruto tried to process the overwhelming amount of information Shiryou had presented. "Why is he so determined to capture the Kyuubi?"

"It is part of one of his many plans to gain control over the world. The Bijuu are often involved in his scheming."

"What are the Bijuu exactly?"

"Well, specifically, the embodiment of a powerful soul attached to a large reservoir of condensed chakra that has accumulated over a vast amount of time until gaining the ability to construct a physical shell to contain themselves."

"Uhm... But-"

"In simple terms, huge sources of chakra. Chakra equals energy, energy equals power, power equals control. Simple. Akuryou needs all nine Bijuu to enact this particular plan, which is why the Doushikai have attempted to seal them into living humans, called _jinchuuriki_. Not directly, of course. We merely influence the idea."

Naruto raised his head to speak again. "But why seal them away? Aren't they much stronger when released?"

**"Yeah, listen to the kid. He sounds like he's on to something."**

"Shut it. True, they are stronger, but they are also less intelligent-"

**"I take offense to that."**

"-because their power overrides their minds, making self-control very difficult. Thus sealing them away does the job of allowing them to think clearly along with hiding them from Akuryou."

Naruto found himself nodding yet again.

"So, that is all I will tell you of the past. Now I shall discuss with you the future."

Shiryou walked to the golden cage and ran a hand along one of the gilded bars.

"You will become an instrument of the Doushikai, a weapon of fate itself. You will beat back against the darkness that opposes you until your knuckles bleed and your bones crack. You will train yourself every day, working to master your body and all the skills that come with it. You will attain godlike power and wield it without hesitation."

Shiryou halted his ministrations and faced the young blond once again.

"You will protect those who are weaker than you and aide those that are in need. One day, you will face down Akuryou himself and force him to admit defeat. That is your future, Naruto. That is what you will strive to accomplish with every fiber of your being, and in return you will get a second chance at life. You will be reborn."

He walked back to the silent young boy and placed his hands upon Naruto's shoulders.

"Do you accept?"

Naruto thought over all that he had just heard. The truth of the Kyuubi, a centuries-old conflict, but what he focused on was the opportunity to live. He had not attached much importance to living before today, but now it was all that he could think about. He knew his answer without being asked.

"...Yes."

Shiryou gave him a warm smile.

"Then go," he said gesturing at the bright light radiating from the passageway's entrance.

Naruto gave a small nod and walked into the glow, his small frame bathed in the brilliant glow before he disappeared from sight.

When Shiryou could see Naruto no more his smile slid off of his normally cheerful countenance.

Kyuubi gazed over at the Jikogiseishi. He looked so much older now, so worn out.

**"Why didn't you tell him about his father?"**

"It's better that he does not know for now," was his answer.

**"Maybe you're right,"** the fox acknowledged. He curled up on the stone floor of his cage. Some things were better left unspoken.

* * *

As soon as Naruto had passed through the glaring light, he found himself back out in the rain, lying flat on his back with the thick blade of a kitchen knife, snapped off near the handle, impaled deep into his chest. His first thought was that it was quite painful. Centimeter by centimeter he pulled the blade out. When the tip had cleared his chest, he dropped the bloodied metal by his side, a dull clang echoed as it hit the pavement.

He noticed small wisps of steam rise from his chest as his body began to heal. Being a jinchuuriki had its advantages.

He heard someone shout his name, so he let his head loll to the side to discern who it was. One of his ANBU guards, dressed in all black complete with mask and a weather-appropriate raincoat.

The ANBU's hurried tones were slurred as Naruto began to regain his senses.

"Naruto! I asked if you were uninjured!" the ANBU repeated himself.

"Not uninjured... But I'm fine," Naruto answered back, exhaustion overtaking him.

"Will you be all right? How do you feel?"

Naruto pondered that for a minute.

"How do I feel...? Pretty good I guess..." he shrugged, opening his eyes to gaze at the overcast sky, still pouring down rain. In the distance a thin bolt of lightning arced from the clouds.

"Considering I just died."

* * *

To those who care enough to notice, I edited and rewrote certain parts of the chapter to better satisfy myself and you lot. I tried to make my terms more understandable within the story as opposed to forcing you to go to the Glossary.

I hope you appreciate the changes

**Writer's Note: **In Naruto: Reborn, the concepts of 'Good' and 'Evil' are equally powerful, so in the Doushikai (Good Guys), power is spread out among its members, whereas Akuryou has the majority, if not all, the power of the 'Evil' side.

* * *

Translations~-

**Konohagakure no Sato: **lit. "Village Hidden Among Tree Leaves." No, not Village Hidden in the Leaves. Trust me, I know these things.

**Fuuinjutsu: **"Sealing Technique**." **The class of jutsu involving seals. Includes seals such as the _**Gogyou Fuuin**_ (Five Elements Seal), and the _**Shiki Fuuin**_** (**Dead Demon Consuming Seal) on Naruto's abdomen. Though not usable by humans, the Kenshugo could technically be classified as a Fuuinjutsu.

**Shiryou*:**lit. "Spirit of a dead person." *That's why both Naruto and Minato wondered if it was a joke, describing either who he is or what he is. Shiryou is kind-hearted, but a devastatingly strong warrior when roused. He has a painful past he'd sooner forget than not.

**Akuryou:** "evil spirit". Formerly of the Doushikai, a spirit that became corrupted and entranced by the powers that he could obtain if he allowed darkness to consume him. More powerful than any individual spirit of the Doushikai. Kinda reminds me of Sosuke Aizen, honestly.

**Nakitama Fukei*: **"spirit guardian(s)". Those of the Doushikai who are sent to protect and aid others. Shiryou is Naruto's Nakitama Fukei.

**Jikogiseishi*: **"Self-sacrificing warrior". A member of the Doushikai who agrees to be sent to the world of the living to fight on the front lines against the forces of Akuryou, or Akuryou himself, even if it means death.

**Kenshugo*: **"Circle of Protection". A mark that shields Naruto from being sensed by Akuryou by hiding his spiritual energy.

**Kyuubi-Tensei:** 'Kyuubi's reincarnation'. The inflection, though, makes it more like 'demon's spawn', far less poetic.

**Icha Icha: **literally, "Make-Out" according to the Naruto Wikia. Though I suspect it comes from _'ichatsuku'_, flirt.

**Tenki: **Turning Point. I was unable to refrain from irony. Tenki was really the catalyst for the attack, which led to Naruto's death, then rebirth. The 'turning point'.

**Shinobi Godaikoku: **Five Great Shinobi Countries. The five most powerful countries, Fire (Hi no Kuni), Water (Mizu no Kuni), Wind (Kaze no Kuni), Lightning (Rai no Kuni), and Earth (Tsuchi no Kuni).

**Kyuubi no Youko:** Nine-Tailed Demon. Obviously.

**Kyuubi no Kitsune: **Nine-Tailed Fox (Spirit). Again, _duh_.

**Shiki Fuuin: **"Dead Demon Consuming Seal". Summons the Shinigami to reap the soul of an opponent, at the cost of the user's life.

**Shinigami:** "Death God." Obvious if you know anything about Bleach.

**Yin:** lit. "Shady Place" or "North Slope." Generally considered bad. Yin is receptive, yielding, negative, and nurturing. It is associated with night, valleys, rivers, streams, water, metal, and earth. Gradually 'trades places' with Yang.

**Yang:** lit. "Sunny Place" or "South Slope." Generally considered good. Yang is active, dominating, positive, and initiating/creating. It is associated with day, mountains, hills, fire, wood, and air. Gradually 'trades places' with Yin.

**Doushikai*: **more or less, "association of kindred spirits". The Spirits who have ascended to a higher plane of existence, but aim to protect the living from Akuryou. They are not allowed to directly interfere with the affairs of the living.

**Bijuu:** Tailed Beasts (Demons). If you people don't know these things, then I feel sad for you.

**Jinchuuriki:**lit. "Power of a Human Sacrifice." The containers of the Biju

**Jouten Kaishu***: "God's Congregation". A meeting of the Doushikai to discuss critical matters.


	2. Daybreak

**Naruto Reborn.**

By: Rasengan Master

Obviously...

**Re-edited.**

_Hallo. RM here. Having a good day? I hope so. Took a walk outside earlier, which is perfect in the colder months, breathing the air. It was calming. I live on a five-acre stretch of land in the forest, you see. I love it, the sight of the hundred-foot trees and the overgrowing nature. I'm in a good mood right now. Read, enjoy, point out mistakes if you wish._

* * *

**Chapter Two: Daybreak**

* * *

Naruto awoke to the incessant cries of songbirds, celebrating the start of a new day. Normally, he would not mind. But he wished they would not do so at 5:18 in the morning.

He yawned and rolled over, hiding his head under his sheets. It had been eight days since his brush with death, and each morning had started in pretty much the same way. He'd wake up earlier then he wanted, check how his injuries were healing, and then prepare a modest breakfast before heading off to the Academy.

Another series of cheerful squawks pierced the cloth barrier that was his bedsheet. Naruto voiced his discontent with a drawn-out groan and threw off the thin layer of cotton. He had not conversed with Shiryou or the Kyuubi since their first encounter, an unsettling experience to say the least, save for a brief exchange after he had awoken in the hospital two days after the assault. Shiryou had said something about other urgent matters needing his attention and informed Naruto he would be gone for some time. He had pressured for a more precise answer, but was unsuccessful. It seemed, though he could be excessively easygoing, he did not take well the forcing of an issue.

Naruto stretched his uninjured arm, which was as sore and weak as the rest of his body, until he felt joints crack. Most of his wounds had healed, thankfully. All of the scratches, bruises, and cuts were gone by the time he had left the hospital. The chest wound had finally closed three days ago, and the gash on his hip soon after. Naruto's hand, however, had been set in a soft cast. The doctor had insisted a hard-cast, but he declined. It would heal quickly, despite several breaks and hairline fractures, due to his resident Bijuu. A hard-cast was unnecessary.

He gazed down at his bandaged hand. It seemed almost unreal. Shiryou appearing in the deepest element of his mind, meeting the Kyuubi no Youko sealed within him, and then there was his death. Naruto had always thought death occurred just the once, and that was it.

Apparently he was the exception.

Naruto removed his left arm from the black sling draped around his neck. He could feel that it was still sensitive, but hoped it was healed enough to be of some use. Naruto wanted nothing more than to begin sharpening his skills. He had slacked off during his limited time in the Academy, sleeping through lectures and ignoring his sensei, labeling the practice of learning those tasks pointless. Now that he had a second chance, Naruto was committed to doing whatever it took to fulfill his promise to Shiryou. An alien feeling, the drive to better himself, echoed within him.

Naruto bit through the linen bandage and unwrapped his aching hand. The sight of it was disconcerting, but most of the damage was now only superficial. It was reddened and heavily bruised, slightly swollen and sensitive. Naruto rotated his wrist a few times, then clenched his fist. There were slight twinges of pain, but nothing debilitating.

Naruto released a held breath. The thought of if he would be able to honor his vow, the first one he had ever made with the intent to fulfill, had been circulating through his thoughts since he had awoken in the sterile room of the hospital. Becoming a ninja was one thing, but it seemed unrealistic to believe he could defeat a being of pure evil, an actual harbinger of death and despair. Even the existence of his supposed foe was questionable, though he knew many odd creatures and mysterious phenomena existed in the Shinobi Goukaidou, the land in which Konoha existed, an enemy that dwelled on a different level of existence seemed outrageously unlikely. Of course, he would have thought the same thing about Kyuubi being imprisoned inside his abdomen at one time.

The young blond purged the doubt from his mind and shook his head free of cobwebs. Any reservations he had would disappear with time, Naruto was sure.

He trudged sleepily over to his small kitchenette, toes scraping the cheap, worn carpet and damaged vinyl kitchen tiles. Naruto set to boil a small, tarnished teapot of water, yawned, and removed an instant cup ramen from a nearby cupboard. At first, he hadn't been very fond of the dish, but it was cheap and filling, so he had continued to buy it.

The Sandaime supplied him with a monthly allowance, as much as he could that his advisors would allow, which was enough for him to get, by even with the price-gouging most shop owners inflicted on him. Naruto would buy cheap items that would serve his needs, and stash the rest of his money away for another occasion. Over time, he had become much more welcoming of the noodle dish in his diet.

A high-pitched whistle drew Naruto's attention. He turned the stovetop off and poured the steaming water into the cup. A meager meal, for sure, but it would be sufficient. He used the leftover water to make some weak tea.

"Itadakimasu."

* * *

"Damn it all, I'm going to be late!"

Contemplation over Shiryou, their agreement, Kyuubi, and every other tidbit of information he had received consumed much more time then Naruto had anticipated. While understandable, it was still regrettable.

He raced through back alleys and shortcuts, ones he had learned quite well after all his times being run down by drunken assailants; narrowly avoiding trash receptacles, benches, and the occasional pet on his frantic journey to the Shinobi Academy. A few of the more friendly villagers he was acquainted with called out greetings, which he hurriedly returned. One unfortunate greeting distracted the young blond, sending him colliding a chain-link fence.

The crash had slowed Naruto down, but he was positive that if he continued on at his current pace he would still make it in time.

Naruto raced down another back alley, the last before a straight shot to the Academy. He slid around the turn, only to run into an object roughly the same size as himself.

A throbbing pain developed at the back of his skull, a product of smashing against the ground. Naruto looked over to see what he had smashed into. It was a young boy, no older than himself, with jet black hair and eyes.

"Huh? Oh... Sorry, I was...in a rush."

Naruto lifted himself off the pavement and extended his uninjured hand. The black-haired youth accepted the it and pulled himself up, retrieving his cream-colored messenger bag that had been thrown in the collision.

"That's...okay. I'm not hurt, I was just taken by surprise," the boy answered uneasily, his speech uncertain and rigid. He was obviously not used to talking to people he did not know. Much like Naruto.

"Uzumaki Naruto."

"What?"

"That's my name. Uzumaki Naruto." Naruto held out his hand once again. It was his first time, really, introducing himself to someone. It was awkward.

"I know your name," the boy answered. " We've been in the same class for three months."

The blond froze for a moment, then relaxed. He remembered now. Naruto had been going to the Academy for nearly two years, but never tried to excel, or even make an effort at being a shinobi. Most of his time had been spent in isolation at the small library within the Academy as private studying, since technically you could not enroll at the Shinobi Academy until you were seven. The new students had arrived a few months ago, around the time he first received his ANBU guards. This boy was one of the new students.

"Oh... Sorry, I haven't been paying much attention..."

The black-haired boy extended his own hand, somewhat more cautiously.

"I'm Uchiha Sasuke."

Naruto grasped Sasuke's hand. All of these courteous gestures and mannerisms were still very new to him. This was one of the few people Naruto had attempted them on, along with the Sandaime, the owner of the ramen stand he frequented, and his ANBU guards. Results had been less then promising. He doubted he'd ever get around to using honorifics regularly, so most would think him to be brash and inconsiderate, or just coldly impassive. Perhaps that was accurate, he was never very sensitive to others.

Then again, it's not like very many people in the village were worthy of his compassion. Many, at one time or another, had planted a fist into his gut or cheek.

"Nice to meet you," Naruto said evenly. _'Uchiha? That sounds familiar.' _"Come on, we'll be late for class."

"Yeah, we've only got a few minutes." Sasuke was not used to speaking to people outside of his clan. The only others he had actually held a conversation of substance with were his sensei and the Hokage.

The pair hurried off to the Academy without another word.

* * *

Naruto gave a loud yawn and reclined under the sun, one leg crossed over the other. Classes had broken for lunch, which he had neglected to pack, so Naruto was left with nothing better to do then stare at clouds for the next hour.

The morning classes had been dull; learning the principles of the Shinobi's code, the process of how to disarm certain basic traps, formation of handseals and the like. He had never paid any attention during his time at the Academy until he had met Shiryou, so everything they taught was new to him. New, but still achingly monotonous.

Naruto knew that as Academy students, they would not learn anything exceptionally dangerous. Even so, he yearned for something more exciting. More fulfilling.

He wanted Shiryou to return. Naruto was curious to what the silver-haired spirit had in store for him. Hopefully something more useful than what the Academy taught.

Naruto sat up and gazed around Konoha. The Academy's roof gave a somewhat acceptable view of the village, though the Hokage's Residence blocked his sight to the left. In front of the red-hued structure was the main street of Konoha, leading down through the various buildings: restaurants, shops, apartments and such; over a small bridge over Nakano River, which cut a curved swath through the village about a fifth of the way in past the gate, relative to the Hokage's residence. From what he knew, it ended, in the village at least, in a lake near the wall surrounding Konoha.

He gave a heavy sigh and fell to his back once more. Naruto felt so useless! He could be _training_ right now, developing the combat skills he would need to face future opponents, but the Academy only taught basic Taijutsu, Genjutsu, and Ninjutsu. And even then, they hadn't started those instructions yet. The closest they had come was general exercise practices.

_'Where is that flake anyway?'_ Before Naruto could continue his fuming, the sun which had been beaming down on his relaxed frame was blocked out.

"Naruto...san?" It was Sasuke. Apparently he was not skilled with honorifics either. They sounded very unnatural when he used them.

"Naruto is fine. What are you doing here Sasuke?"

A moment of silence, spent on curiosity concerning why Naruto attached no honorific for his own name. "This is where I normally eat lunch," he answered, raising a bentou. "Why are you up here?"

"Didn't have lunch, nothing else to do." Naruto gestured at the general area around him. "Have a seat. Don't mind me."

The Uchiha did so, crossing his legs underneath himself as he unwrapped his bentou. It was simple: rice with soy sauce, some seared calamari, a sweet roll with a smidgen of a crowberry-flavored ooze, a culinary invention of his mother, which he enjoyed quite well. He'd brought a small bottle of barley tea to drink, though he would have preferred water. The slightly bitter aftertaste was not to his liking.

"Nice day out." Naruto crossed his arms under his head.

Sasuke looked around. Bright blue sky, just enough cloud cover to offer a little shade; a gentle, cool breeze.

"Yeah."

* * *

Shiryou knocked on the stone door for the fourth time.

"Mura-jii! Hurry up, I've got other places to be."

He waited for a response, simultaneously rolling his eyes as he leaned against the wall of the underground passage and cursing himself for rhyming. He hated doing that unintentionally. After a few moments, he heard the scrape of stone on stone, and the door opened inwards.

"I see..." a wizened old voice answered. "It's been a very long time, Sanosuke-kouzo."

Shiryou's eyes dulled and grew distant. His shoulders slacked, and he appeared far more gaunt than normally.

"I told you last time... I'm _Shiryou_ now. Sanosuke is...dead," he replied emotionlessly. "He has been for a very long time."

The voice wheezed out a raspy chuckle. "With a name like that, you could be both. The _Shiryou_ of Sanosuke, hmm?"

"As you say, now let me in."

The door swung wider, a withered old man stood behind it. He was bald, with a short, white, pointed beard and heavy creases around his eyes.

"It is good to see you again, Shiryou-kouzo," the old man said softly, a smile upon his wrinkled visage.

* * *

"See you tomorrow, Sasuke," Naruto called to the retreating form of the Uchiha.

"Later, Naruto," he replied without turning around.

Throughout the rest of the day, they realized that they did not mind being in the company of one another. It was far less irritating than he had expected it to be. The Uchiha had the courtesy to not inquire about his injured hand, though Naruto had noticed his curiosity.

Naruto turned and made his way to the Ichiraku ramen bar for an afternoon meal. The classes he sat through after lunch had been no different than the morning ones, tiresome and uninteresting, save for the short Taijutsu practice that had been held outside. Sasuke had outstripped the entire class, while Naruto was barely par. In fact, Sasuke had most of the class beat in nearly every subject.

As he walked, Naruto allowed his mind to wander, drifting away from the monotonous pace to reflect lazily on himself. Things seemed so different now. Colors were more vibrant, sounds more distinct, flavors more gratifying. Life was more satisfying then he had realized, and he never would have known if he hadn't come so close to death.

Ahead, the ramen stand came into view, a small, open bar, a row of seats set out in front of the counter; the pleasant aroma of their food wafted through the air. He ducked inside and sat on a sturdy wooden stool.

"Ah, hello Naruto-kun!" the middle-aged man behind the counter said pleasantly, a white cap on his head preventing hair from dropping into his workspace. He smiled and begun preparing another batch of noodles. "What'll it be today?"

"...Large Miso with egg, and a small shrimp as well, Teuchi-san." The fragrance of the cooking ramen caused his mouth to water. According to the ramen chef, Teuchi had been apprenticed to a great master of the art for several years, learning the ideal way to prepare each element of the food. Through many years of hard work, he had honed his skill. Teuchi easily had enough money to open a much larger restaurant, but he preferred a humble stand, where he made the ramen and was assisted by his daughter, rather than staying at home with a hired staff to run the eatery.

"Comin' right up!" Teuchi wiped his hands on his apron before donning a pair of sanitation gloves. "Ayame, get Naruto some water while he's waiting."

A young girl with auburn hair and warm, chocolate eyes entered from the back room, garbed in an apron identical to her father's. When she saw the young blond at the counter she gave a wide grin, brown irises sparkling with a faint, mischievous glint.

"Hey, Naru-kun!" Ayame gushed cheerily. "Just get out of the Academy for the day?"

Naruto twitched slightly. She treated him like a little kid.

"Yeah, Ayame-san. I went without lunch today, so I decided to stop by."

The waitress set a chilled glass of water near Naruto's uninjured hand before leveling a wooden spoon at his nose. "It's not good for a child your age to miss meals!" she said pointedly. Though she hid it, she noticed Naruto's change of attitude. It wasn't much, but it was noticeably better.

"It's fine. It wasn't the first time," the blond brushed the spoon away. "Besides, who are you calling a child? You're only five years older than me, and I'm at _least_ ten years more mature than you are."

Ayame huffed and gave a convincing pout. She would remain this way until Naruto expressed regret, he knew from experience.

Naruto sighed and shut his eyes. "I apologize for saying that, Ayame-san," he said softly, damaging his pride. "You are mature beyond your years." Naruto blocked out the bitter taste in his mouth.

The young waitress giggled and leaned over the counter to wrap her arms around his frame. "Aren't I though? That's such a nice thing to say Naru-kun!" Ayame released him with another grin and went back to assisting her father.

_'If this is how she acts at twelve,'_ Naruto thought to himself, _'Then I feel sorry for you Teuchi, because it will only get worse.'_

* * *

Muraki stroked his short beard and nodded sagely. "I see, I see... So will you be bringing him by soon, then?"

The Jikogiseishi gave a wearied sigh, "Maybe in a few months. Naruto's young, which means he's headstrong and foolish, even if he won't admit it. I'm not sure if he'll be ready for it this soon. We normally give them a few years of guidance before coming here, but I don't know... He has the Kyuubi, so Akuryou will pursue Naruto more so than the others."

Shiryou took a drink of mint-flavored tea from a small cracked mug. He had boiled a pot at the request of Muraki. He had always been skilled at brewing tea, even before he had died and been offered to join the Doushikai. How long ago had that been...?

"But what it really depends on..." he continued between sips. "Is who the spirit _possessing_ it will be."

Muraki smiled kindly and let his eyes wander to a wooden door at the end of the small chamber that served as his home. "We can only hope they will become an excellent match. Though, of course, I doubt they will be as appropriate for each other...as you were with yours..."

Shiryou followed his gaze to the old door. "Yeah...well, like you said way back then... We were a good match." The silver-haired spirit dropped his sight to his mug of tea, trying to discern something from the opaque liquid. If it held any answers, it would not tell.

"I'd like to stop talking about her, if it's all the same to you..." Shiryou took another sip. Too many memories.

Painful memories, stained with blood and steeped in misery.

The old man raised a wrinkled hand. "Very well... But just so you are aware... Never once did she place blame on you for what transpired."

"You're trying to get me to talk to her, yes?" he eyed the old man critically. "It's been so long... I wouldn't have the nerve to see her now."

"Are you sure?" Muraki pressured. "She is just beyond that door."

Shiryou sighed again. "Yes... I decided that a long time ago."

He stood from the ancient wooden chair and walked to the stone exit. He heaved the door open and walked out into the tunnel, turning to seal the stone slab. "Goodbye, Mura-jii."

The old swordsmith waved him off. "I'll expect you soon with young Naruto, Sanosuke-kouzo."

The grating of the door against the stone beneath it halted.

"...I already told you about calling me that."

A hollow thud echoed as the door slid close.

A muffled: "It's Shiryou now..." And he was gone.

Muraki took out his kiseru and attempted to light a tuft of tobacco with a match.

_'You're as stubborn and hardheaded as I remember...'_ the swordsmith mused. _'Sanosuke-kouzo...'_

* * *

Naruto reclined on his bed, staring at the ceiling.

After paying the 300 Ryou bill for his meal at Ichiraku's, while heading back to his apartment, an ominous chill fell over his entire body and a sharp pain emanated from his chest.

He knew it was his Kenshugo, the mark Shiryou had placed on him. Naruto knew next to nothing about the seal, so the reason why it had ached was a mystery. But still, he knew.

The blond rolled onto his side, his sleeping attire hugging his frame. His hand had gradually regained its normal color over the past few hours, it would be fully healed by sometime tomorrow.

Naruto closed his eyes and toyed with one of his practice kunai. He was impatient, the level of his shurikenjutsu was abysmal, and Naruto wished to rectify that as soon as possible. Truthfully, all of his skills were below average.

A shiver ran down his spine, and a warm, fuzzy sensation envelope his mind.

_'Naruto? Naruto, I have returned,'_ the echoing voice of Shiryou rattled through his skull.

"I can hear that." A stir of annoyance emanated from the Jikogiseishi.

Naruto felt a sharp tightening of his mind, as if it had been gripped by some unseen hand. This was followed by a moment of disorientation, just before being yanked deep into the recesses of his own subconscious.

The hapless blonds' skull cracked against the stone floor of the chamber that housed the caged Kyuubi. **"If the fate of the world rests in the hands of such an idiotic brat, perhaps we should just hand me over to Akuryou now and save him the trouble of thoroughly trouncing him. Perchance we can include a thoughtful greeting card." **

The hulking form of the demonic creature lay curled behind the golden bars, head laid along the ground so that one ruby-colored eye was focused on his prone form. Shiryou had his back against cage, a hand buried into his silver locks.

"If it happens to come to that, I'll be sure to tie a pretty bow around your neck," Shiryou commented with a false sincerity. "You'd want to look your best for your new master, right?" The fox bristled.

Naruto rubbed his now-bruised scalp. "Why couldn't you be more gentle?"

Shiryou voiced a sound that was both of amusement and embarrassment. "It's not easy bringing someone into their own subconscious, it being ethereal and all."

The boy hauled himself off of the stone floor and onto his feet. Naruto gazed over Shiryou, studying him thoroughly as he had not done so before.

He bore a handsome, flawless visage, dark brows framing his shining grey eyes. Long silver tresses of the straightest hair the blond had ever seen outlined his face and rippled down his back, ending just shy of his waist. Delicate hands, like those of a pianist, moved with an unconscious grace and elegance, nails perfectly maintained.

Under his dark, tattered cloak he wore clothing of a style unknown to the blond. The longsleeved garment covering his torso matched the color of his cloak and was made of a very soft material, rather like silk. His pants were also dark, held firm by a simple black belt with an undecorated silver buckle, the unhemmed legs nearly grazing the floor. Naruto's eyes trailed to his footwear, elegant boots whose length was hidden by the cloth of his pants. They were laced tightly and polished to a shine. Shiryou exuded an incorporeal exquisiteness that seemed to make the most drab clothing appear like the finery of a king. Once again, the four-pointed pendant, rounded blue gem at its center, caught his eye.

Naruto dusted off his pants. "So, how were your other tasks that so _desperately_ needed your attention?" He asked sarcastically.

"You know, you are fairly quick-witted," Shiryou replied, quirking a brow. "For an seven year old that is. If you must know, all immediate issues have been dealt with, so for the time being I am free to mold you into something vaguely _useful_."

Naruto grunted irritably. "Good. I was getting tired of sitting around licking my wounds, waiting for you to finish your errands. How do you plan on starting my lessons, besides pointing out what's wrong with me?"

The Jikogiseishi waved the question off. "Don't be in such a rush. We have plenty of time for training your body and mind. First, I thought it would be better to delve a little deeper into the history of the conflict you now find yourself mired in." Shiryou closed his eyes and ran his hand through his long tresses.

"Many tens of thousands of years ago," he began dramatically, his penchant for the theatrical shining through once more. "Before I or even the country I was born into existed, the world was enveloped in a massive series of global wars. Conflict raged between innumerable countries, each fighting for survival against one another. There were no alliances, and each land defended itself or was crushed by another power greater than their own. In this existence of..." Shiryou paused, searching for the right words. "Complete and utter hopelessness, I suppose would be an accurate description, there was an ancient society of pacifist monks. The name of their order has long since been lost, but what we do know of them is important. They had grown tired of the bitter, unceasing clashing of armies that left river of blood in their wake. The countries even went so far as to harness the gentle spirits of nature to increase their strength, an act that the monks viewed as unforgivable. They left the battlefields of death behind them and searched for a place to live peacefully."

"What was the cause of the warring?" Naruto inquired. "What could have started all the fighting?"

Shiryou gave a nonchalant shrug. "Your guess is as good as mine. The warfare wiped out most of the countries, so records of that time are scarce. Few even know it took place, let alone what caused it."

"And the monks?"

"They migrated constantly for the next few decades or so, until they found a secluded mountain range. It was nigh _impossible_ to traverse, and if one wasn't careful, they would lose their life in an instant. Cliffs thousands of feet high, ferocious beasts, abnormal weather patterns; enough to deter anyone from wandering too close. The monks selected one of the largest mountains as their new home and named it _Heionkaze_, the "peaceful wind", after the oddly calm weather near the top of the peak. The monks, who were masters of the five main elements, carved into Heionkaze and built a temple, in which they could live in peace, pursuing whatever interested them. Some years later, at least several hundred, they stumbled upon an strangeness; a type of spiritual _leyline_, a current of immense and powerful energy, and somehow tapped into it. The oldest and wisest of the monks threw himself, mentally, into the stream of spiritual energy to decipher its purpose." The Jikogiseishi ran his hand along a golden bar of the cage, rubbing the lustrous metal.

"Well? What happened to him?"

"He entered a deep trance, and until his death years later, received an almost continuous stream of prophetic visions, all of which were thoroughly recorded." Shiryou absentmindedly twirled a lock of hair between his fingers. "The visions were distorted and confusing, but after careful studying, they were determined to be a kind of fortune-telling, premonitions of great battles and convergences of the two great principal forces."

"Two principal forces?"

"Dark and light, evil and good, _Yin_ and _Yang_. The cosmic dual entities that govern all things around us. The monks grew to realize that the entity of Yin had disrupted the balance of the world, fostering the hatred and anger that fueled the global warring. At that point, they put all of their energy and strength into aiding the entity of Yang in restoring equality, studying the leyline, and deciphering the prophecies."

"Why make them equal? Why not just destroy Yin entirely?" Naruto posed. "Wouldn't that be easier?"

"Because there _must_ be evil in this world, just like there _must_ be good, I told you this before. If they are not equal, then the order of the world will fall into disarray, which is why we have people like me and you."

"What do you mean like _us_?"

"I cannot fight Akuryou's forces directly, as I do not have a permanent physical form, I am only _energy_. You can, so we must work together. The monks, after years of experimentation with the spiritual leyline, discovered that instead of passing on to what you might call the afterlife, they could instead survive as spirits existing in a separate dimension, just beyond that of this world. They were the precursors to the Doushikai, but we don't know the exact process that they used, as it is not used anymore. None of the original monks still exist inside the Doushikai either."

"Then how do you become a member of the Doushikai?"

"The Council of the Doushikai, our governing body, decides if you are worthy to be inducted into their ranks through your actions and deeds throughout your life. Normally, it's people such as yourself that have been chosen to oppose Akuryou, otherwise it may be humanitarians, intellects, or warriors of suitable merit."

Naruto tightened his fist and furrowed his brow. "Yeah, that's another thing I was wondering about... How was I chosen? I mean, why was it me? I know the Kyuubi is inside me, but that couldn't be the _only_ reason."

Shiryou took his pendant in hand, rubbing a point with his thumb as he gazed into the glow of its gem. "You are not mistaken. The prophetic messages of the monks include the stories of those who would rise in defiance of the entity of Yin, if only with the vaguest of details. I mean, it's not as if just being a container for the Kyuubi makes you a prophetic child, that'd be too easy. It's more of a...coincidence.. In most cases, anyway."

The blond fell silent once more. Suddenly, a thought crossed his mind. "If the prophecies laid out who was going to be chosen, then you would be in those prophecies as well, wouldn't you?"

The spirit smiled cheerfully. "Again you show your sharpness of mind. Yes, I was in the prophecies, just as most of the Doushikai are, in one way or another."

"Which means...Akuryou, the bad guy... He was too, right?"

The grin faded from Shiryou's features, twisting at the corners in a fit of inner thought and turmoil. "You want to know why we didn't stop him from breaking off from the Doushikai and turning traitor, correct?" The Jikogiseishi's eyes flickered slightly, the faint blue sheen reflected from the gem mirroring the action.

"Yeah..."

Shiryou sighed and dropped the silver accessory, which swayed to either side, glinting in the torch-light. "Deciphering the prophecies...is not an _exact_ science. We often do not understand what they denote until the events have come to pass. If we are lucky, we discover their implication with time to prepare, like with you. Akuryou... That was a very regrettable outcome, but it was too long ago to lament the effects it had. All we can do is oppose him at every corner, and hope to come out ahead."

"This temple...is it still around?"

"Yes, deep within _Kaminari no Kuni_. Up until a few thousand years ago, it was still populated by the order of monks loyal to the Jikogiseishi, but they've all perished. It remains undiscovered due in part to intense cloud cover and many illusionary techniques we've cast over the years. We still use it on occasion; the prophesized ones are taken to the temple after a certain amount of instruction to meet the oldest living member of the Doushikai and sole inhabitant of Heionkaze, Muraki the swordsmith." Shiryou fell silent for a moment. Then, "He'll take a look at you... and then we'll get you your weapon."

Naruto glanced back at Shiryou with one brow cocked. "Weapon? I can barely even hold a knife without cutting off a finger."

The spirit rolled his eyes and heaved another tired sigh. "That's why I said _after some instruction_. I don't intend to give you sword unless I'm _sure_ you can use it without sacrificing any digits."

"Fine then. When do we start?" The blond crossed his arms impatiently. "I've been waiting for over a week."

"Tomorrow, after you get out of the Academy. There is nothing else that need be discussed tonight, so go to sleep. I won't be around when you wake up, but I'll return before noon."

"You better be. I don't like waiting." Naruto turned on his heel and exited through the portal of light at the other end of the chamber.

The Kyuubi watched the child stride out from inside the cage. **"You're leaving again? I thought you had finished all your business."**

"I did. I never said I was leaving, just that I wouldn't be around. I'm going to spend some time going through Naruto's mind, seeing what I have to work with."

**"Is that really all you plan on doing?"**

"..." Shiryou tossed his hair and turned to face the youkai. "I wanted to evaluate how the Shiki Fuuin was holding up, see if it's had any aftereffects. I can't do that easily, I need to scour through his body's knowledge."

**"Do you doubt the abilities of the Yondaime?"**

The Jikogiseishi shook his head. "Not at all. But the Shiki Fuuin was not developed for this manner of sealing. It was a last-minute improvisation on the part of the Yondaime, altering the technique to not only seal away your Yin energy, but also confine you inside Naruto. The technique itself is incredibly old, made for a different purpose than was used; Minato-kun couldn't have thought of every eventuality, so I think we should check, just to be sure."

**"I'll go with you."** The massive red fox hauled itself onto his feet.

"Fine, but adopt a slightly _less_ gargantuan form. I don't feel like being accidentally crushed under your feet just because you weren't looking where you stepped."

**"First of all, I always watch where I'm going. Second, there is nothing wrong with being as large as I am. Third, they're paws, not feet."**

"As you say, now hurry up."

The demon grumbled to himself and muttered several scathing remarks under his breath. Kyuubi inhaled deeply, his cavernous chest heaving outward as he began his transformation. His reddish coat rippled as his energy started to compress itself around his body, chakra swirling gently as his frame shrank down to the height of a mid-size dog, no higher than Shiryou's knee. The gilded bars of the cage shimmered, a small trickle of molten gold dripped from under the paper seal, pooling on the opposite side of the gate. The small pool of gold migrated towards Kyuubi, running up his furred leg to his neck where it wrapped around his throat in thin rings that merged into each other, solidifying into a gilded collar. The character for "Seal" was etched black into the golden band, just as it was inscribed on the paper tag that adorned the cage, with lines of scrawled characters meant to reinforce the binding slowly appearing, twisting around the circumference of the choker.

As the collar finished binding itself to him, the bars of the cage grew dull, the gleaming inner warmth it had now gone, replaced with a cold, tarnished facade. The knee-high demon stepped through the space between the bars and joined the Jikogiseishi near the passageway out of the chamber. Shiryou glanced down at the fox, his face contorting for a fraction of a second.

Kyuubi eyed the Jikogiseishi intently. **"What is it?"**

"Nothing... It's just...you could be someone's pet now... Like a little..._doggy_," the spirit let loose a series of piercing chuckles, unable to hold back his mirthful laughter any longer. He continued his sniggering as the pair made their way to the passageway.

**"I suggest you stop using me as the object of your amusement, unless you would enjoy the experience of a severely irritated kitsune clawing your face off."** The spirit raised his hands in submission as they passed the threshold of the tunnel.

It was still hilarious, though.

* * *

A short gasp escaped from Naruto's lips as he found himself back in his small apartment, and his body gave a slight spasm as mind adhered to physical form, a process he found quite peculiar. The blond took a moment to concentrate, focusing on the energy Shiryou emanated from within. It was there, but substantially weaker than before, barely registering a flicker.

As he had done before, he began to toy with a dulled practice kunai, spinning it by the ring of the handle. Naruto's eyes drifted to his clock, which displayed 11:42. The blond decided the only thing to do was get some rest, then muddle through another mind-numbing day of the Academy until he could finally start his instruction. All that he knew was it would involve some manner of weapons training.

Naruto slipped off his shirt and pulled the covers up to his chest, dropping the kunai to the floor. He felt the accumulated exhaustion lull him closer to sleep, his eyelids drooping dangerously low.

The last thing the blond did before drifting off was study his hand, which had finished healing, the original tanned color once again gracing his skin.

* * *

**"So?"** Kyuubi inquired curiously.

They had left the main passageway down another side corridor, one that led to a different part of Naruto's unconscious mind. At the end of the corridor was a room styled like a drab storage space, lined with old bookshelves and filing cabinets. It was in this room that all information on Naruto, physical, mental, or otherwise could be found. Shiryou had been expecting something akin to a small library, but this was closer to some sort of research chamber, or rather, a storeroom for items with little use, where only bare essentials were allotted. The spirit had explained to Kyuubi that the appearance of this part of someone's mind reflected their mental state. Seeing as how barely over a week ago Naruto had been so extremely introverted and antisocial, this wasn't all that surprising.

Shiryou always found it interesting how some peoples' minds worked from the inside. This dungeon within Naruto's mind was created, he surmised, by the seal holding the Kyuubi, which acted as a template, a building plan really, for what would normally only be unseen chemical triggers and neural synapses to be perceived as a metaphysical world inside his head. Whereas he could normally travel freely as energy, through most objects unheeded, he, in this body perceived as Naruto's subconscious to be physical, he could only move through the established borders of the dungeon. The room he was in was one of a few he had so far been able to enter. Others, he suspected, may hold memories or dreams, fears or ambitions; whatever was a part of Naruto could be found, possibly, behind a door or around a corner.

"'So', what?" Shiryou asked from the work desk he had utilized for his examination of Naruto. Books, scrolls, and files were spread over the desk, illuminated by dim fluorescent lighting that hung from the ceiling. They were mainly records of data subconsciously archived and stored, varying from bodily harm, brain function, physiological development, and, of course, the Shiki Fuuin, the main reason for his visit to the room.

**"Don't give me that. What have you found out?"**

The Jikogiseishi pinched the bridge of his nose and rubbed his eyes, propping his head up with his free arm.

"As far as I can tell, the Shiki Fuuin is holding quite well, as is the Kenshugo, thankfully. But..."

Kyuubi looked up at Shiryou from his spot near the edge of the desk. **"Yes?"**

"But...the seal was never _meant_ for something like this, just as I said before," he stressed in frustration. "It was a technique that was meant to ensure the death of both caster and target; but Minato altered the pattern, incorporating other, more subtle seals to the main framework of the technique. There are other sealing methods in existence that would have conceivably been far more safe, especially ones designed to lock away demons like the Bijuu, yet he had none of these. It's not so much a flawless execution of the perfect containment, as it is a labor of complete guesswork and improvisation that just happened to fall within the acceptable range of success without killing Naruto."

**"And what does that mean? It doesn't matter how jumbled and thrown together it might be, as long as it holds."**

"What it _means,_ is that it has had a serious effect on Naruto's delta waves, and pretty much the makeup of his entire cognitive process."

**"You do realize I am still technically an animal, right? Complex answers like that might as well be incomprehensible babbling."**

Shiryou rolled his eyes and loosed an irritated growl. "In layman's terms, his mind is fucked up. All of his mental potential has been turned in on itself. It's given him heightened intelligence, but almost no social skills. It's difficult for him to think of anyone else as living, thinking people, a concept known as the 'monkey sphere.' He is severely introverted, though it isn't entirely his fault."

**"What can we do to fix it?" **Kyuubi tilted his head and blinked a few times. If Shiryou didn't know what Kyuubi really was, he would have commented on how adorable the fox looked at that moment.

The spirit scanned over the documents that littered the desk. "Now that we know what's wrong, we can make gradual changes over time until everything is relatively normal. Other than that...there's nothing really noteworthy at this time, which is good for us. Fewer headaches to deal with."

Shiryou gathered his research material, loading his arms with the various writings, moving to return them to the shelves and select new data to examine. A small scroll tumbled from the pile held to his chest, unfurling as it rolled along the floor. The Jikogiseishi grunted as he looked from the mass of literature in his grasp to the lone cylinder and back again. He set the stack of information down and knelt to pick up the scroll. The text inscribed on the dry parchment caught his eye.

"Interesting..."

**"How so?"** Kyuubi studied the scroll, inhaling it's dusty scent. **"Seems like an ordinary scroll to me. What's it say?"**

"It describes your presence... Oddly enough... and its' effect on Naruto." He looked over to the miniature demon. "How bizarrely fortunate this one fell..." Shiryou contemplated the possibility something inside Naruto knew that that specific bit of information was useful, and managed to push it closer to his attention. Filing that possibility away for later examination, Shiryou continued deciphering the text within the scroll.

"Apparently, beside healing, you can, theoretically, enhance any of his senses, temporarily increase physical strength, speed, and other aspects of his abilities. Obviously, if he accessed your power through a transformation, then these changes would take place, but it seems that..." Shiryou paused, unraveling more of the scroll, "...that by melding your energy over his own through his keirakukei, his chakra system, like a shell, you can do so without changing his body drastically."

**"How is that any different from how he would access my chakra through a transformation?"**

"A transformation to a tailed state is similar to a overload of your energy through his system, so where he is not even using his own chakra, as your energy forces it aside as it flows through him. This method is far more acute, channeling miniscule amounts through his body while still keeping his chakra in control, your energy acting as an enhancer to his abilities." The Jikogiseishi fell back into his chair and plucked a tome from the disheveled clump at the edge of the desk, flipping through the pages until he found the section he desired.

"Now, if I'm correct," he started. "And I believe I am, you constantly purify the Kenshugo placed on Naruto with your energy's natural restorative-regenerative process, which is used to remove impurities, that being what it sees the Kenshugo as. This means that you are always exuding a slight amount of chakra through Naruto's body." Shiryou's finger trailed down the lines of text on the book. "It's so minute, that it's undetectable." The spirit switched his gaze to the scroll and gestured at a section of writing.

"When you actively engage in his healing, such as after the attack last week, you flood his body with your chakra. Still not a very noticeable amount, none but the most skilled iryou-nin could even sense it, and the Kenshugo is still unaffected for the most part, though this depends on the severity of the wound. The stab he received the night of his attack required an impressive amount of energy, probably a high enough concentration to be visible, for example."

Shiryou tapped at a line of characters in the book.

"But when you manifest in a tailed transformation, your chakra is released in massive amounts, and will begin to directly purify the seal. If left unchecked, the seal will weaken with every second he utilizes your power. "

The silver-haired man sighed and leaned back into the chair. "Of course, since I am nearby, I will be able to constantly feed a small trickle of my energy into the Kenshugo, continuously repairing it so Akuryou will not pinpoint Naruto's location."

**"Then that should not be an issue."**

"You misunderstand." The Jikogiseishi gritted his teeth and tightened a fist. "I can only maintain the Kenshugo, damage done in my absence is permanent. And once placed, it cannot be overlaid by another."

**"Then we are at a stalemate." **

"Problems will arise if I am not here and Naruto uses too much of your chakra. The Kenshugo will be completely eroded when he accesses chakra..." Shiryou studied the book and scroll in tandem, calculating numerous variables, such as time of exposure, degree, age, mental state, physical state, and urgency of situation; most being details no one could use in an equation for a viable answer with any degree of certainty, but he, who had dealt with many containers and Kenshugo before, could make a vague estimation. "Approximately equivalent to a...seven-tailed state, maybe. As the seal deteriorates, the easier it will be for Akuryou to locate Naruto and extract you from him."

Kyuubi scoffed as if he had been insulted. **"I would have stopped him before he went that far. I think you underestimate me a little too much sometimes, Shiryou."**

"It's not that I don't trust you," Shiryou said quickly. "But your energy is like a drug: wildly addictive. The more he uses, the more he'll want; and he will be inclined to tap deeper into your strength, his mind overcharged much like yours is when you are released."

The small kitsune conceded. When he used his power unrestrained, he would only see vague flashes, his senses fluctuating violently. Unable to pick out more than basic shapes and colors when enraged. **"What do you suggest, then? You can't be here all the time, you have other obligations to carry out."**

"I'm not even remotely sure. Watch him, of course. And teach him to draw on small quantities of your chakra, as soon as possible. The better he is able to handle your strength, the easier he'll manage to control full transformation if the need arises. The more skilled he is in combat, the less he'll need to use your energy." The Jikogiseishi rubbed his eyes in exhaustion. "Which will limit the danger he'll put himself in by expunging the Kenshugo."

"Other than that, we can only hope that he'll keep his obligation in mind, and that it will persuade him to walk the line of righteousness."

**"...and if he decides to do the opposite?" **Kyuubi averted his eyes. He knew it was a touchy subject for Shiryou.

"Then we will be forced to implement more... _stringent_ methods of supervision. If necessary..." Shiryou rose to his feet. "We will deal with him before he decides to retaliate." The spirit moved to gather new texts from the shelves.

"That is the edict given by the Doushikai, after all. He either fights with us, or against us." The words left a coppery taste in his mouth, bitter and pungent. But he had not lied, and if he wasn't the one to kill Naruto, it would just be another. "You know that, don't you?"

The laws of the Doushikai were absolute. Unwavering. _Inescapable_.

* * *

Naruto searched through his closet for clean attire, removing several garments in desperate need of washing before managing to locate a black shirt and matching pants. His sleeves reached to just past his wrist, the cuffs and collar pliable to prevent slippage and retain warmth. The pants were thick and somewhat loose, but hugged his legs tight enough to not hamper movement. They were one of his more favored clothing combinations, yet he rarely wore them. The attire was suited for cool weather, which had only began to appear again with the start of fall.

The young blond checked his calendar. November 18th. Hi no Kuni enjoyed a very mild climate, the temperature rarely fell low enough to snow, so the Autumn weather did not emerge for several weeks after the season's start. Only in dead winter would the white powder grace his village.

_'The eighteenth... So I have been seven for...one month and eight days. How long will it be before I fight Akuryou?' _Naruto reflected curiously. _'Twice as old as I am now? Fourteen... that seems too young, maybe a few more years than that. Between then and now, I have to become strong enough to defeat a thousands-year-old psychopath with the power to destroy or conquer anything he wants. Seems unlikely.'_

He gathered a pair of small, blank scrolls; a brush and inkwell, practice kunai and shuriken, some texts on basic techniques and skills, and a few other trinkets to use in his training after he left the Academy. Naruto placed them carefully in a dark blue drawstring bag that he hung from his shoulder.

He grasped the brass handle of his door, and exited the apartment, moving to the stairs. Naruto hated this feeling, the one that gripped his heart with a life-crushing force. Desperation, anxiety, anticipation, anguish.

Worst of all, the feeling of helplessness.

Naruto left the building, on his daily route to the Academy, the fear and unease never leaving his mind.

* * *

**Author's Corner**

**ADDED 10-11-10**

So, rewritten and altered. I'm going to start getting more serious about this story, I really want it to turn out well. Important thing: I could use a Beta. If any of you are interested, send me a message or email.

It took me forever to get the time periods correct, so pay attention. I'll only say this once:

I finally figured all this out after two days of diligent research- Sasuke enrolled at the Academy the same approximate time Itachi joined the ANBU. Six months later, after the end of the first term at the Academy, is when Shisui was killed. Itachi made top of his class at the Academy when he graduated after one year, at Age 7, so that leads me to believe that's the age when you are allowed to join, except for special circumstances, like Kakashi, who graduated even younger than Itachi. I don't think it was 12 months, but one schooling year, so it might have been several months less.

Since Itachi was 13 when he became an ANBU captain, and he is about five years older than Sasuke, the attack must have happened when Sasuke was around 8-9, after he had been at the Academy for some time. That's why the time the story is set in is three months after the Rookie 9, except for Naruto, entered the Academy, so everything syncs up correctly. I'm not sure how much time passed from when Shisui was killed to the massacre of the Uchiha, long enough for Sasuke to learn the Goukakyuu at least, I guess I'll wing it. Naruto has some time to become buddies with Sasuke before Itachi goes Mangekyou Sharingan all up in the Uchiha Clan's face, everybody's happy.

I'm guessing, with leeway, a little over three months, right after the end of the first 'term' ends and everybody gets their reports to bring home from the Academy. I've tried to hash out the times as perfectly as possible... Ah, well.

**ALSO!** I was trying to decide whether or not to keep or kill off certain characters! So, I thought I'd make a little game to amuse myself. You guys tell me who you think is going to live or alternately get whacked in the head with a proverbial lead pipe. If you guess correctly, you win a cookie! A metaphorical cookie, mind you. It enables you to feel good about yourself and put down the losers that showed their failure. The Cookies will be a symbol of how much better you are then anyone else. You won't know if you win until that part of the story comes up, though.

**DELTA WAVES: **I don't have the patience to go through a full description of what delta waves are for. If you don't know, Wiki it. Suffice to say, they deal with the brain and cognitive thought.

-000-

**Romaji/Jutsu: **Romaji, the Romanization of the Japanese language, is difficult to completely understand. Translations aren't always direct and sometimes have multiple meanings, and I will capitalize on this ever so often for comedic effect.

Also, I included some explanations.

**Bijuu:** 'Tailed Beast(s)'.

**Itadakimasu**: expression of gratitude before meals. It can be taken as meaning "I humbly receive."

**-san:** Common honorific. Gender-nuetral, the basic equivalent of Mr./Mrs./Ms.

**-kun: **Common honorific, normally used for boys.

**Bentou: **You've all seen them. Prepared meals in small boxes, normally wrapped with cloth? Yeah, I thought so.

**Jii/Jijii: **old man or grandfather. It can be used by itself or added as a suffix for a name.

**-kouzo:** youngster/kid/boy/brat. Though not technically an honorific, Muraki uses it with nearly everyone since he's so old, everyone is a 'youngster' compared to him. It can be taken as somewhat insulting depending on the inflection. It's slightly less demeaning than _gaki_ which could also mean "brat"

**Shiryou*:** lit. 'Spirit of a dead person.' People joke about his name a lot, I feel bad for him. He loves cold soba noodles and his favorite drink is a special chilled beverage he makes himself, containing extracts of various plants, fruits, tea leaves, and some kind of alcohol. He has a dark past, but a rather flamboyant personality.

**Jikogiseishi:** lit. (with malleable phrasing) "Self-sacrificing warrior". A member of the Doushikai who agrees to be sent to the world of the living to fight on the front lines against the forces of Akuryou, or Akuryou himself, even if it means death. They rarely ever encounter Akuryou, most often battling with his pawns or the like.

**Shurikenjutsu: **"Small throwing-blade technique." The art of throwing shuriken. Kinda self-explanatory. I'll use this as a blanket term for kunai as well, I won't have the patience to differentiate.

**Doushikai :** more or less, "association of kindred spirits'. The Spirits who have ascended to a higher plane of existence, but aim to protect the living from Akuryou. They are not allowed to directly interfere with the affairs of the living. They are headed by some sort of "Council" made up of the oldest members. Their soldiers in the world of the living are Jikogiseishi.

**Kenshugo:** 'Circle of Protection'. A mark that shields Naruto from being sensed by Akuryou by hiding his spiritual energy. It perpetually requires energy because the Kyuubi's presence naturally tries to eradicate the seal, thus to keep it active, it needs energy, provided by Shiryou.

**ANBU**: Abbreviation for **An**satsu Senjutsu Tokushu **Bu**tai (Special Assassination and Tactical Squad). The masked dudes. Yeah.

**Yin:** lit. "Shady Place" or "North Slope." Generally considered bad. Yin is receptive, yielding, negative, and nurturing. It is associated with night, valleys, rivers, streams, water, metal, and earth. Gradually 'trades places' with Yang. This has to do with the concept of a valley between two mountains, and as the sun passes overhead, "shaded" place becomes "sunny", and vice versa.

**Yang:** lit. "Sunny Place" or "South Slope." Generally considered good. Yang is active, dominating, positive, and initiating/creating. It is associated with day, mountains, hills, fire, wood, and air. Gradually 'trades places' with Yin.

**Heionkaze: **Peaceful Wind. The mountain upon which Muraki lives.

**Kaminari no Kuni:** Lightning Country. Frequent storms, heavy cloud cover, tall mountains, etc. Not enough is known about it for me to go into detail as of yet.

**Youkai:** though often translated as "Demon", the Japanese word does not carry the negative connotation, as youkai are not inherently evil.

**Shiki Fuuin: **"Dead Demon Consuming Seal". Summons the Shinigami to reap the soul of an opponent, at the cost of the user's life.

**Ryou: **a monetary unit. 100 Ryou is about $10, and so on. In Japan, it was a gold coin, used with the monme (silver) and kan (copper) for currency.

**Keirakukei: **lit. Meridian System. The term for the channels within the body that transfer, build, and direct chakra.

**Monkey Sphere: **known primarily as Dunbar's number, a theoretical cognitive limit to the number of people with whom one can maintain stable social relationships. are relationships in which an individual knows who each person is, and how each person relates to every other person. Proponents assert that numbers larger than this generally require more restricted rules, laws, and enforced norms to maintain a stable, cohesive group. No precise value has been proposed for Dunbar's number, but a commonly cited approximation is 150. Naruto's number is about 6-8 at this time. This isn't that important to the story, it's just to enforce how introverted Naruto is.

**Iryou-nin: **Medical-nin. The ninja that specialize in healing, medical treatment, and medical-based jutsu.

-00000000000000000000000000-

That's it. CLICK BUTTON FOR MORE. YOU KNOW YOU WANT TO.


	3. Heionkaze

**Naruto Reborn.**

By: Rasengan Master

Shocking, isn't it?

-0-

**Author's Note:** Well. Chapter 3. At last we meet. I am of the opinion that if you haven't hooked your readers by the third chapter, you should move on.

I hope you... Well, to be honest, I don't really care if you like it or not. If I did, I would simply write as you dictate what would happen next. You can tell me what you think of it if you desire.

Whatever.

* * *

**Chapter Three: Heionkaze**

* * *

"Keep your guard up! If I were an enemy, you'd have lost both arms by now."

"I know!"

"Too rigid! Widen your stance."

"Shut up!"

"Don't choke up on the handle."

"Dammit, what'd I just say?"

Another harsh strike slammed against Naruto's weapon, finally snapping the overstressed wood. Splinters burst into his palms as he was thrown forcibly into a nearby tree, slamming his back against the trunk and breaking off large chunks of bark that lodged within the fabric of his clothing.

"And _that_ would be a fatal slash to the chest. A lung, your liver, possibly even the heart; I _could_ have destroyed them. Destruction of any one of which would have meant death." _'Well, if he didn't have the Kyuubi they would.'_

"Can't you take it easy on me? Just once?" the blond seven-year-old muttered in hushed tones, mostly due to the throbbing twinge pulsating throughout his frame. "This could be called child abuse, you know."

Shiryou held out a hand. "No shortcuts, no holding back." Naruto grasped the outstretched arm and hauled himself to his feet for the umpteenth time, panting tiredly. "In every other area of combat, I will be your teacher, but when it comes to using a weapon, I will be nothing more than an opponent. You must learn for yourself. Have I not told you this _already_?"

He had, three months ago when they first started his training, and several times since. Shiryou had evaluated every aspect of his physique and came to the conclusion that teaching him any specific school or style of swordsmanship would be impossible. And stupid. The best they could do was teach him how to look for openings, act on reflex, defend, and counter. Even with yesterday's snowfall covering most of the village, Shiryou forced him to go back to the forest after his day at the Academy.

"Yes, but why..." He paused to wheeze again, ice crystals puffing out in front of his cherry-red nose. "Why teach me how to use a sword?" Naruto asked holding up the shattered remains of his training bokutou. "How do you know what weapon I'll use if we haven't even been to see Muraji yet?"

Shiryou brushed snow, leaves, and twigs from his attire, a white silken shirt, ruffled slightly at the chest and black slacks, the hems of which enveloped his shin-high boots. Not exactly clothing suited for sparring, but he didn't seem to tear it, nor had he even begun to sweat as Naruto had, the beads of moisture freezing onto his skin. It was in these small ways that the spirit seemed even more mysterious to Naruto.

He had been able to construct a temporary physical form, and yet normal human bodily ailments: sweating, bleeding, bruising, not even a hastened breath seemed to afflict him. He still looked like nobility even after the strenuous workout of training Naruto.

For the past few months, Naruto's daily routine had gone, for the most part, the same way. He would wake and shower, change clothing, and eat a light meal. The blond would make his way to the Academy, meeting up with Sasuke before heading to class and listening instructors drone on about various subjects until lunchtime, where he would adjourn to the roof, which he had partially cleared off. It took him a few minutes of shoving or kicking the snow aside to regain a lopsided circle of napping space.

He would make idle chatter with Sasuke, and with the other students that occasionally joined them, all bundled in thick layers of clothes, who had heard that there was not a rule against dining on the roof, each from a prominent ninja clan. Akimichi Choji, Inuzuka Kiba, Nara Shikamaru, and very rarely, Aburame Shino. Nobody recalled when the Aburame started coming, or why.

After lunch, they'd head back indoors for the afternoon classes, which were mostly athletically based: shurikenjutsu, taijutsu, calisthenics, and the scant weight training.

Sometimes, he'd practice a little with Sasuke, who was vastly more fit and skilled than himself, before he'd go to the clearing within the forest Shiryou had selected for his training. The Jikogiseishi had begun teaching him basic fighting moves, kenjutsu, and how to control small amounts of the Kyuubi's chakra. Naruto had been left on his own for the most part for other areas of combat, as Shiryou had told him: _"There are some things you should work on by yourself. If you just accomplish what I tell you to, you won't reach your full potential."_

His biggest fault was probably Genjutsu, though Ninjutsu wasn't exactly his forte either. He hadn't even attempted to make an illusion yet.

"His name is Muraki, and did I ever say I was teaching you how to use a sword? No. I am teaching you how to use a _weapon_. You are learning how to recognize attacks, how to counter them, and how do defend yourself against them. This will be germane to any weapon, a sword is just the easiest way to teach you these things, because it's a fairly common weapon for people to use. I have no idea what your weapon will be, katana or otherwise." Shiryou tossed his hair back and straightened his sleeves.

"Besides, every sword style has flaws, no matter how powerful it may be. It is the fluidity of water that will defeat the rigidity of stone. We're done with kenjutsu for today. Get into lotus position."

This phase of Naruto's training focused on drawing slight amounts of Kyuubi's chakra to enhance different aspects of Naruto's body: sight, scent, hearing, touch, speed, strength, reflexes; really anything he might need to use in a fight.

_'If he could control this technique properly, it would be an excellent tool in battle,'_ Shiryou contemplated. _' The Kyuubi has few fighting abilities of his own, but his stamina and sheer power are unmatched in battle. Naruto needs to be able to use that power if he's to stand a chance against Akuryou.'_

"Fine. What should I focus on?" Naruto asked with a lack of interest as he brushed remnants of the tree bark off his thick woolen shirt.

"...Sight." It was a bit more difficult than increasing his touch, or strength, as those were very broad, general areas to allow the chakra to work on. Sight, however, was very delicate, and precise, requiring focus and caution.

Shiryou had explained to Naruto that allowing the youkai's chakra to course throughout his keirakukei, the built-in chakra channeling system of his body, would overwhelm his mind with the level of control he currently possessed. The proper way to direct the chakra was to focus it at the Tenketsu points that corresponded to what he wished to augment, rather than enacting a full-body transformation.

Naruto gave a loose nod and fell back onto his rear, wincing as the snow's chilling touch pierced his leggings, freezing his legs and rear end. Placing his fists together, deadened palms pointed upward. He established a mental link, something he had spent a solid two weeks learning how to do unassisted, with the Kyuubi, who, by the very faint energy he felt, was apparently sleeping. Naruto used the link to guide a thin tendril of the demonic chakra through his body to his eyes, a slight warmth radiating through his body. The energy writhed and struggled, attempting to shake itself from Naruto's control. Sight, Shiryou explained was one of the toughest things to enhance: too much chakra would damage the eyes, too little and nothing happened.

"Damn it... I still can't focus it all the way. It... won't let me direct it." The child's teeth had begun to chatter, the muscles in his jaw contracting in the cold of winter.

The spirit gave a soft chuckle of amusement. "At least you don't have to control yours' and the Kyuubi's chakra at the same time, like you would in battle."

Naruto grunted in agreement. Reassuming control, the blond once again guided the energy to the Tenketsu directly behind his eyes. As the connection to the chakra node was shaped, his eyes began to itch, shortly after, a burning sensation enveloped them as well. It was mildly irritating, causing his tear ducts to water slightly.

He opened his eyes, which had attained a faint crimson glow, and gazed around at the clearing.

"Okay... I got it, I think. It's weak, but I can see."

Shiryou grinned and rest his back against a tree, waving a hand in time to a piece of unheard music, eyes closed. "Good! Now, see what they can do, these _new_ eyes of yours. This is the first time you've properly manifested them, so pay attention. Take it all in."

Naruto pushed the burning and itching away and focused on his hands. At first, nothing... But then his sight blurred, acquiring a reddish tint over his entire field of vision. When it refocused, the fingers seemed to have nearly quadrupled in size, the lines etched into the digits appearing like vast canyons in his flesh.

Shiryou opened an eye, focusing his grey iris upon Naruto.

_'Telescopic sight... I expected as much.'_ Most eye-based techniques involved something of the sort.

Naritp then observed a flock of sparrows on their migration flight, winging their way high above the treetops. It was common for many species of migrating animals to stay deep into the moderate winter of Hi no Kuni, often not leaving until the first snow. Each lightning-fast beat of their wings was delayed before his eyes.

_'Everything seems to move slower! But they are flying the same speed that they are supposed to, I think... I must be able to see movement faster than the normal eye can...'_

In the trees, he saw leaves rustle and flutter. As he squinted his eyes, a dim orange glow sprouted behind the branches, dashing across the arms of the trees. _'I can sense...heat? I think, to a certain point too... I think it's a squirrel.'_ Naruto felt the connection wane before it snapped like a taut cable, sending the energy snaking back to the Kyuubi.

"Well?" Shiryou's voice shook Naruto from his daze. "What was it like?"

The blond shook his head and rubbed his eyes. He felt so tired... Maybe it was an aftereffect. "It was odd... Everything was red. I could sense heat, read movements a bit better, and could zoom in a bit on whatever I wanted,. Some sort of...uh... telescopic sight, I think."

"It seems you actually paid attention and took notes. I'm impressed."

Naruto grumbled in irritation; the cold had not made Shiryou's jests any less annoying.

_'What do you think?'_ Shiryou asked Kyuubi, rousing him from his sleep.

_**'In comparison... to other eye techniques?" **_the demon replied wearily, releasing a long, rumbling had only vaguely paid attention, drifting in a psuedo-awakened state as the boy explored the newly discovered ability. A natural reaction to the weather, for the past few weeks Kyuubi had been hibernating; doing little more with his time than sleeping for long periods of time. _**"Doujutsu... such as the Byakugan and Sharingan... have slowly been diluted over hundreds of generations. While Naruto's eyes may be raw and unrefined, they are much more pure... I'd say against a doujutsu-user that knew what they were doing, it'd probably even out, once Naruto... gets some more practice. A matter of experience and skill versus power.'**_

Shiryou nodded silently. He'd surmised that as well. But still, even though he lacked refinement and control, Shiryou was impressed that Naruto was able to activate an ocular transformation after only three months of practice.

Demonic chakra varied from youkai to youkai, both in potency and in the skills they create, but Kyuubi's chakra was by far one of the strongest. This was precisely why it amazed Shiryou that the boy had managed to mold it to enhance his visual capabilities so soon.

Kyuubi's chakra was massive, violent, and unpredictable; one slip-up, and he'd damage the optical nerves, blinding himself.

"So... How many sparrows were there?" The spirit inquired, returning his attention to Naruto.

"Twelve." The blond froze. How did he know that? He didn't count them. He was sure he'd only gazed at them for a moment.

"I see... You also seem to have a form of... recall ability, similar to a photographic memory. You remember things that you aren't _aware_ you remember. Well, I guess you're aware _now..._but if I hadn't told you, then..." Shiryou stroked his chin thoughtfully. "Ah, that's unimportant. Go home. Get warm. Get some sleep. No use worrying about things that don't matter."

_'It _is_ interesting, though,' _the spirit mused._ 'His eyes work with his subconscious to create a record of everything he perceives. He can recall certain things instead of memorizing all the information, a safeguard to prevent an information overload, maybe... Memories probably evoked through a forced recollection, whether by his own mind or some external stimuli, such as when I asked him of the sparrows.'_

It could be a _kekkei genkai_, inherited from his mother or father, a random side effect from the Kyuubi's sealing, or something else entirely. It might even be the reason for his rapid development. Was it constantly activated, or only when a stream of chakra existed? Did it need to be Kyuubi's chakra, or could he use his own? The mystery behind the odd ability bugged Shiryou, lighting a fire under his curiosity.

Naruto gave a half-hearted, three-fingered wave as Shiryou's physical form faded away and his familiar radiant warmth emanated from his abdomen once again. The spirit would investigate the gift further, the need to quench his inquisitive thirst about it consuming him.

The blond pivoted on one foot and strolled out of the clearing, snow crunching underfoot as he headed for the forest path leading back to the populated area of the village.

As he walked, Naruto let his mind start to wander...

It was odd: The perimeter of the village was represented by a thick, circular wall that enveloped not only the populated areas, but a heavily forested area, several lakes, and numerable rock formations, the Hokage monument being the most notable. Why encompass such a large area? It would be a chore to protect the entirety of Konoha.

They probably had some sort of silent alarm system, maybe a barrier technique of some sort. Too much manpower would be required just for guarding the perimeter of the village, otherwise. He knew that there were guards at the main gate, so the barrier, if there was one, wouldn't be everywhere.

_'Why am I thinking so much lately? I'm creeping myself out...'_

The snow-covered dirt path through the woods eventually met with a little-used stone road that had iced-over in the cold, leading to the western thoroughfare of the village, which intersected the main street of Konoha, which had already been plowed free of snowfall. Along the thoroughfare lay the Academy and the Hokage's Residence, which was situated directly at the end of the main street itself, facing the central gate that led out of Konoha several hundred meters away. Naruto let his eyes focus on the snow beneath his feet as he followed the winding path through the forest, untended branches of nearby trees grabbing at his clothes.

The blond rounded a sharp corner and found himself on the thoroughfare, about seventy meters away from the opening of the Academy grounds. Reports for the first term were to be given out this week, and Naruto was sure his grades were among the lowest. Sasuke, on the other hand, had the best scores in the Academy in every major subject. He heard teachers talk about it all the time.

But this was to be expected. Sasuke was enthusiastic, driven, and extremely talented. Even among the Uchiha, who were some of the strongest ninja in the village. The brightest flame of the Uchiha, though, was Sasuke's elder brother, Uchiha Itachi. Academy graduate at seven, and Chuunin at ten. He had been inducted into ANBU six months past, making him one of its youngest members in the history of Konoha.

Naruto had met the Uchiha a few times; when he occasionally had come to pick up Sasuke, the two occasions Naruto had been invited to their home; which made him nervous and fairly anxious; and if he was lucky, when Itachi trained in the woods. The first time he'd witnessed the elder Uchiha practicing was when he was on his way to his _own_ training session. Itachi used a clearing about ten minutes away from his own, Naruto passing close enough to hear labored sounds of exertion and muffled thumps. He investigated and found the raven-haired teen honing already-exemplary shurikenjutsu. He was like a hawk, flying swift and elegant through the air, striking out fiercely with his steel claws.

But even with the few occurrences in which he'd been with Itachi, Naruto noticed a marked change in his behavior. He'd slowly become colder, more distant than the caring older brother Naruto had first met.

The blond shook his head and rubbed his temple. _'Thinking too deeply again...'_ It wasn't his business to worry about the Uchiha.

After a slight adjustment of the pack that held his training gear, Naruto continued down the path, following the most direct route to his apartment. A nap was the immediate task after his education from Shiryou.

_'Five days until the term reviews are sent home,'_ Naruto muttered internally._ 'Not that I have anyone to show it to.'_

_"Aww, Naru-chan~"_ Shiryou called teasingly from within the blonds' head. _"I'll look at it if you want~ I'm so _proud_ of my little Naru-chan~"_

The man was sharp, astute, and cordial; but he could be simply insufferable at times.

_'What an unbelievable __**ass**__.'_

* * *

_Hokage's Residence, S-Rank Debriefing Room 6. 11:02 p.m._

The tired, aged man grit his teeth and dug his nails so deep into the flesh of his palm that he threatened to draw blood. The peace talks had begun to break down, and though they still showed signs of promise, time had inevitably run out. He could not delay any longer, the elder's having overridden his chosen tactic of negotiation.

_"You are aware of the reason you were summoned here, correct?"_

The low, raspy voice originated from a figure at the far end of the rectangular table where the old man sat. The speaker, hidden by the shadows, was Danzo, one of the three elders of Konoha, and an ex-Oinin of ANBU. Sarutobi Hiruzen refrained from talking, worried that if he opened his mouth, only bitter words of regret, frustration, and anger would result. In this situation, better to steel his heart and suppress his emotions. The other two elders, positioned on either of his sides, remained silent and motionless.

The captain knelt before the table, dressed in dark clothing, tightly-belted armor plates on his shoulder and chest painted a light- absorbing black. "...I am." His voice muffled by the porcelain mask all ANBU wore.

Danzo, whose right eye was covered by a leather patch, cast his sight upon the ninja. He was relatively new to the ANBU, inducted six months earlier. But his reputation warranted his new position, and his skill warranted his newest assignment.

"Good. Your mission will commence two weeks from tomorrow. Understood?"

"_Hai_."

The elder folded his hands and rest them on the table. "Dismissed."

Sarutobi Hiruzen relaxed his muscles as the ANBU disappeared before his eyes, flitting away into the night. A thick red liquid dripped slowly onto Hiruzen's sleeve. He had never felt more like a failure then before this moment.

He didn't deserve the title of Hokage, after failing to stop something like _this_.

_'The massacre of the entire Uchiha clan...'_ The old Sarutobi lamented in silence. _'I have failed you... Hashirama-sensei, Tobirama-sensei...'_

Though his face remained like stone, the Sandaime wept within his heart.

* * *

The ANBU were some of the most powerful and highly-skilled ninja of Konohagakure. The organization was broken up into several companies that specialized in different areas. The Oinin, Torture and Interrogation, Scouting, among others.

A good number were dedicated to the personal protection of the village and, more specifically, the Hokage, but the main force accepted high-risk, extremely dangerous missions in small squads. This was the force Uchiha Itachi had joined six months earlier.

The raven-haired ninja leapt across the buildings of the residential area, muscles relaxed when airborne only to hit the roof tiles at a hasty clip, holding back just enough to avoid slipping in the ice or snow, making a speedy beeline to the Uchiha sector and his families' home.

He had been given a probationary position in the ANBU nearly eight months ago, unofficially, and had taken a few preliminary missions unaccompanied by a squad.

It was during one of these missions that he had met with Uchiha Madara.

Itachi's plan was convoluted, but it needed to be. He required contingencies for every possibility. He needed to balance the Elders and Madara against each other, using a deft hand to ensure neither moved too harshly against the other.

Itachi dropped onto the gate that served as the entrance into the Uchiha sector, panning his vision to either side. The Military Police rarely guarded the interior of Konoha at this time, but seeing as they were almost entirely comprised of Uchiha clan members, it was not unusual to see patrols late at night. There were four groups of no more than three, easily noticeable by means of their lanterns.

Itachi gnawed on his lip; there were less than he had suspected. Nearly all of the clan was involved with the coup d'état, so _increased_ patrols would be sensible. The gifted Uchiha activated his Kekkei Genkai and once again scanned the surrounding area from behind his porcelain ANBU mask.

Fourteen. The patrols equipped with lanterns were decoys. Another three watched the main roads of the sector from the shadows, two were stationed on rooftops to deter infiltration from above, and the other five were placed in key points vital to the conspirators: the Naka Temple and shrine, the Military Police headquarters, and the houses of the three primary organizers of the coup. Problematic, as his father was the clan head and the leader of the coup itself.

Itachi dropped silently into the shadows, snow crunching under his booted feet as he moved to the nearest alleyway. He was not too concerned about the patrols; they were well-trained, yes, but _he_ was the finest talent among the Uchiha. There was perhaps only _one_ among his clan that could match his skill.

With his activated Sharingan, he easily avoided the probing eyes of the patrol groups, even those vigilantly watching his home. Itachi slipped into the rear of the house over the back wall, silently padding his way through the garden to the main building.

A soft clang echoed in the dead night air, stalling the Uchiha's movement. It came from outside the compound, somewhere in the south area of the Uchiha sector.

He padded his way quietly to his room and hastily stripped off his ANBU gear, storing it in a hidden space under one of the tatami mats of his floor. As he lay under the covers of his futon, recoiling from the coldness of his sheets, Itachi couldn't help but speculate the outcome of his plotting.

The first move would be made in a few days, and after that, it was up to fate.

_'Only two weeks left... Until the fall of the Uchiha.'_

* * *

_Three days later..._

He was running...

_'Naruto?'_

Through a dark forest. The air was stale, and it burned when he inhaled.

_'Naruto...'_

His entire body ached, blood flowed in sheets from open gashes.

_'Naruto.'_

There was a clearing, a body lay in the middle, the surrounding area charred and decimated.

_'Naruto!'_

He ran to the figure. It was a man, covered in battle wounds. The man was dying, and there was nothing he could do.

**"**_**NARUTOOO**_**!"**

Naruto jerked fiercely as he was roused from his sleep. He cracked a sapphire blue eye to see his sensei, Umino Iruka, less than three inches from his face. The Chuunin's features were contorted in rage as he ground his teeth loudly.

"You're staying after class today..." the instructor growled, barely suppressing his fury.

* * *

The blond-haired adolescent yawned loudly as he stretched out upon the sun-bathed roof of the Academy. Choji, Shikamaru, Kiba, and Sasuke sat nearby, each wrapped in a jacket with an obentou in hand.

"That's like, the eighth time in a row, Naruto," Kiba sighed. "Each time you fall asleep durin' class, Iruka-sensei gets more pissed."

"Yeah, take it easy on him. He'll have a heart attack before thirty," Shikamaru added, zipping his insulated coat further up his neck.

Choji dug his hand into a bag of his favorite barbeque-flavored chips. "Pretty soon, he might start taking it out on us. Why can't you stay awake?" All eyes, even those of Sasuke, trailed down to Naruto.

"I... I don't get a lot of sleep..."

"Obviously," Sasuke murmured between bites of pork. "If you did, you wouldn't sleep in the middle of class."

"You aren't that funny, Sasuke," the blond replied. "Especially when you're being sarcastic."

"Choji meant, 'Why aren't you sleeping enough?', idiot," stated the Nara with his persistent tone of absolute boredom. His chopsticks pinched a square of dried fish.

"I get in late..."

Kiba scoffed. "You're avoidin' the question."

"I've been training."

"Oh really? What kind of trainin'?"

Naruto shrugged. "Normal, I guess."

Kiba grinned widely, the red marks on his cheeks vibrant in the bright light of the sun. "Why not give us a...demonstration?" He said, somewhat unsure if he used the right word. "You haven't done good in the Academy, so if you've been practicin' in secret, I wanna see how helpful your trainin's been!"

Sasuke glanced over at Naruto. The Uchiha was a little bit curious as well. He'd sensed Naruto had been holding back during classes, so his real abilities were still unknown to Sasuke.

Naruto peered at the blue sky between the fingers of his left hand.

"Maybe tomorrow..."

* * *

Naruto hiked his way down the snowy forest path to his training area. Iruka had kept him after class to lecture him on the importance of paying attention, so he'd have a bit less time than normal.

He was rounding a turn as the voice of Shiryou resonated through his skull.

_'Not today Naruto.'_

The surprise message distracted Naruto, causing him to trip and smash his forehead on the exposed root of a tree, which felt doubly hardened in the freezing cold air. The blond felt the presence of Shiryou leave him and appear near his head.

He rolled onto his back and looked up into the steely-grey eyes of his Nakitama Fukei. He was smiling happily, though it seemed a bit forced.

"You are _such_ an _ass_..." the blond grumbled, rubbing the swelled lump on his skull, grabbing a handful of snow to press against his aching head.

Shiryou chuckled lightly. "That is certainly possible. Anyway... you won't be practicing today."

The spirit, dressed in his trademark black cloak, put a hand on Naruto's shoulder.

"Hold on. This might make you feel nauseous."

Naruto tried to speak, but was interrupted by a very curious sensation. He likened it to being stuck neck-deep in mud with some unseen force violently trying to yank him free. His ears popped and he saw flashes of color, the wind raged furiously.

And then, silence.

"Open your eyes, Naruto."

He did. And after sitting up to look around, immediately regretted doing so.

Naruto sat on a small cliff, several thousand feet above ground. The cliff jutted off the side of a large mountain, one of a few dozen visible in the heavy cloud cover. The air was cold and dense with moisture, carried by a brutal, howling wind.

"What the hell...?"

Shiryou pulled Naruto to his feet. "Welcome to Kaminari no Kuni," the spirit said evenly, turning the blond around by his shoulders to face the mountain on which they stood.

The mountain rose up into the sky, piercing the clouds like a massive obelisk. It had innumerable crags and peaks that protruded from the main body, the rock slick and wet from the moisture-laden clouds. One slip would send you smashing against the jagged face of the mountain; certain death.

"_And_ to Heionkaze."

The Jikogiseishi gestured to a set of stairs, carved out of the mountain rock, that curved along the side of Heionkaze.

"Let's go. If you don't dawdle, we'll get to the temple in a few hours." Shiryou pivoted on his heel and strode briskly toward the stairway.

Naruto looked from the retreating shape of the spirit, to the clouded mountain range, then to the unseen peak of Heionkaze, and back to Shiryou. He tried to ignore the vertigo-induced nausea.

"...What the hell?" he repeated.

* * *

_Forest within Konohagakure no Sato_

Sasuke panted and dropped to his knee, clutching his newly-acquired wound.

He failed to successfully perform the shuriken jutsu yet again.

It was highly advanced; nearly impossible for someone without the Sharingan. Nine kunai, six shuriken, three senbon. Twenty-eight targets, ten of them paper-thin and blocking the view of a second target behind them. Impossible angles, obscured sight.

But Itachi had done it.

He had done it with his eyes' _closed_, _without_ the Sharingan, while falling from a high branch.

The prodigy had ricocheted the projectiles off of trees, rocks, even other projectiles, and speared every target nearly dead-center. Even the one placed at ground level, behind a tall, upright boulder. Sasuke slammed his fist against the ground. He didn't resent Itachi, he couldn't.

It wasn't his brothers' fault that he was so skilled. Itachi had something Sasuke didn't. A certain... _spark_. A spark that enabled him, _drove_ him to reach ever-higher plateaus of strength and ability others had no hope of achieving.

But he didn't like living in the long shadow his older brother cast. Sasuke loved his brother, and wanted to make him proud, but he also wanted to have his _own_ identity. To be not just the younger brother of Uchiha Itachi, pride of the Uchiha clan.

Slowly, Sasuke picked himself off the ground and gathered his weapons. He blocked out the sedated feeling produced by the bitter cold.

Just one more try... One more time before he went home.

* * *

_Heionkaze, Kaminari no Kuni__-__Stairway to Temple, 9:14 p.m. (Konoha time)_

"No more... Auggghh! _Please_...! Have _mercy_, kind sensei!"

A fist with the density of iron, driven by the irritation brought on by the blonds' relentless whining, smashed over the back of the blonds' head, right next to his earlier bump received in Konoha.

"Shut it Naruto. It's only been four hours, and we've been taking it _slow_." _'Kind sensei? Where the hell he'd think that would get him?'_

The Uzumaki shook his fist at the emotionless spirit. "Slow? You call this slow? My legs are on fire!" Naruto whined. "I can barely even stand up!"

In actuality, they had been going rather slow, but the steps were steeper than the average, thus more energy and strength was needed from the calf muscle, add that to the freezing temperature, and it resulted in an increased rate of exhaustion. Even if Naruto had known this, his mood would be no less irate.

"Was all that training I put you through for nothing?" Shiryou sighed.

"Training? Half the time, you just beat me with a stick!"

"Be silent will you? We're close..." the Jikogiseishi pointed forward, dismissing the child's ranting. Just barely, Naruto could distinguish the outline of an arch, less than fifty meters away. "See the gate? That marks the entrance to the monk's temple. We're going to go see Muraki, who lies in one of the catacombs under the main building." It was heavily veiled in the dense mist and fog that hung around Heionkaze.

Naruto picked up his pace and stepped alongside Shiryou. "Uhm... That transportation technique? I was wondering..."

The spirit fixed an eye on the blond and raised his brow. "Yes? What about it?"

"Couldn't you have just transported us in front of the temple?" Naruto stubbed his foot against a step, hissing as the pain spiked in his toes. "Y-You put us on that cliff, so we had to walk all the way up."

Shiryou restrained a snigger at the boy's antics. "Well, I could have gotten us closer-"

"What?" Naruto screeched. "Why didn't you?"

The spirit smacked Naruto's skull once more before grabbing him by the collar. "Don't interrupt. I could not transport us directly to the temple, as it is protected by a network of barriers and shielding techniques. I could have put us higher up on the stairs, but then you might have landed right on the edge of one, lost your balance, and fallen down the steps. Serious trauma, but you wouldn't die. Kyuubi's useful for things like that."

"Oh..." Naruto felt the energy fade from his indignation as the Jikogiseishi lowered him back onto the ground. The throbbing pain in his limbs weakened as well. He _knew_ he wouldn't die, but Naruto still didn't like experiencing pain. He wasn't a masochist.

Actually, he could have put them right in front of Muraki's door, he just decided that Naruto would benefit more from the short journey. That, and he enjoyed toying around with the boy.

Shiryou mounted the final step and halted, allowing Naruto to move ahead.

The temple grounds, aside from the location, were not very awe-inspiring. Built into a cliff and partially sheltered by the overhangs of the mountain, it was very secluded and well hidden. It covered an area of about three hundred meters long by four-hundred-fifty wide, sixty of _that_ well covered by the jutting rock of Heionkaze's side. The stone courtyard was overgrown with scraggly weeds and plant life breaking through the rock to bask in the sun, which at the moment was obscured by fog. There were three visible buildings; one appeared to be living quarters, another a storage warehouse, and the third and largest, directly across from him, was the temple itself. Two-storied, built out of dense wood and stone, and in need of desperate repair, it was nothing special.

On his right, behind the storehouse, was what appeared to have been the monk's garden.

Shiryou slipped by him, cloak fluttering in the mountain breeze. "Follow me."

The hard-soled boots rapped out an audible thump as he strode across the courtyard. Naruto jogged up to his side and kept pace. "How old is Muraki?"

Silence for a moment, only the sound of boot against stone. Then: "Older than myself."

The pair halted before the old temple, the entrance dark and foreboding. As Naruto studied the structure more closely, he realized it was far more damaged than it appeared. Decrepit wouldn't _begin_ to describe it. Most of the wood was rotting, and the stonework cracked and broken.

"Uh.." Naruto began nervously, "Is it safe to go inside? It looks pretty... run-down..."

"Nope. It's likely the roof might collapse if you speak too loudly." The spirit in human skin continued onward, his young charge a few shaky steps behind. "Better not chance it."

What frightened Naruto most was whether or not he was exaggerating the buildings' condition. After all, it _did_ look to be on its last legs.

The creaking of the floor beneath their feet only served to strengthen his concern.

Beyond the short vestibule immediately following the entrance, there was a large, wood-floored chamber housing several massive statues at the far end. The chamber rose to the roof of the second floor, the head of the tallest statue, a man kneeling and gazing towards the ground and a warm smile, reached just below the rafters.

Shiryou walked to the sculpture and raised his hand, palm aimed at the figure's head. For a minute, nothing happened, other than the wind breezing through holes in the wall causing an eerie whistle.

Then the stone eyes cracked open, just a hair, and a blue-tinged light began to pour forth. It seemed to study the Jikogiseishi in his entirety before panning his sight ever-so-slightly to look at Naruto. An odd sensation, as if his whole body had gone numb, enveloped him. Apparently satisfied with what he saw, the statue closed its' eyes and widened its' smile, a discordant grinding sounded as the grin stretched.

A low rumbling echoed through the corridor as the massive sculpture trembled and slowly slid back, revealing a hidden stairway leading into the dark depths of the catacombs.

"Come." Shiryou seemed colder, more distant than usual. Was it this place? Since they arrived, much of Shiryou's characteristic flair had withered away.

Naruto followed down the steps, the walls were smooth for the first hundred stairs or so, then gradually became rougher. It was the same with the steps. Gradually, they fused with each other, shallowing out until they were uniform: a path spiraling downwards into Heionkaze.

It was dark as well. After less than five minutes, the only visible object was Shiryou, who's body gave off a faint silvery sheen.

"Hey, Shiryou?"

"What?"

Naruto fidgeted slightly. "I wanted to know more about spirits... Demons too... Could you tell me?"

"I suppose," Shiryou sighed tiredly. The never-ending barrage of questions from the blond-haired demon-brat exhausted him. "What do you want to know? Be specific."

He thought of the best, most prudent and important inquiries his brain could muster. Though in his wearied state, he couldn't go much further than the basics. "What is the difference between them? And how are they allied with each other?"

"Sometimes, they are difficult to tell apart. In appearance, most spirits look human and demons are more animalistic, though this is not always true. A spirits powers normally involve the energy and elements around them, while youkai's abilities come from within themselves, but again, this is not always so. Spirits tend to look after themselves while demons belong to clans," Shiryou instructed dryly, keeping a monotonous pace. He shrugged his shoulders, ruffling the cloak wrapped around his frame. "I haven't met many spirits, but I hear they are quite majestic and... enthralling. They're different than the Doushikai, who were formerly humans."

His step faltered for a split-second. "Not all demons support Yin, and not all spirits ally with Yang. You can't just _generalize_ which principle force a demon or spirit might back using stereotypes like 'demons are evil, they'll side with Yin'. Not all demons are bad, just like some spirits are more malevolent than others. It's the conflict between the opposing sides _within_ the spirits and demons that's our biggest problem."

"Bigger than Akuryou?" Naruto exclaimed in surprise. "Akuryou? The one that _betrayed_ the Doushikai to obtain ultimate power to enslave the _world_?_ That_ Akuryou?"

Shiryou laughed cheerily, breaking the monotone speech in which he'd been droning. "The very one. No, Akuryou is practically harmless right now."

"Why? It sounded like he was a pretty big threat."

"It wouldn't _suit_ him to make a move right now; it's not how he does things. He enjoys drawing these situations out to relish the enjoyment. He can be very childish. We have a few years before he actually sends his agents to attack, I think," the Jikogiseishi explained. "Well, at least, I _hope. _Undoubtedly, though, he is searching for the location of the Jinchuuriki, you especially. If you recall, I told you of Uchiha Madara?"

"Yes. A little bit, I think. He was the one who made Kyuubi attack the village."

"Madara is his favorite puppet at the moment. Akuryou doesn't fully possess him, but he guides him, and others within the Akatsuki organization, to gather the Bijuu, or Jinchuuriki in your case," Shiryou continued, slowing his step gradually. "It might be to use them specifically as the means to conquest, or merely to remove them as possible threats. Either way, he seems to be infatuated with them, Kyuubi especially." The spirit sighed lightly. "But, in this situation, we _do_ have a single advantage."

"Which would be?"

"Well, as far as I know, Akuryou hasn't caught wind of this, but... there is a Tenth Bijuu."

The blond deadpanned. "Wait... I thought there were only nine! You mean to tell me there's a demon out there _stronger_ than the Kyuubi? What will we do if He willingly sides with Akuryou? A ten-tailed demon..."

Shiryou tittered quietly. "You misunderstand. It is not the Juubi, the Ten-Tails, but rather the Reibi, the Zero-Tails. Reibi no Menhiru, to be exact."

"Wait, _Menhiru?_ It's a leech?" Naruto asked, face contorted in an expression of revulsion. He hated leeches. Slimy, blood-sucking, disgusting little beasts.

"Yes, quite. Fortunately, we are fairly sure he doesn't even know it exists, let alone its' location. Of course, we don't know where it is either."

"Why not?" he inquired. "Can't you just track it's spirit? Like how Akuryou tries to do with mine?"

The spirit shook his head. "Most of the Bijuu are contained inside Jinchuuriki like yourself, the ones that aren't fluctuate their chakra so rapidly and erratically, it disrupts their spiritual energy. But, even so," he continued. "We should be able to sense him to some degree, at least to know which country he's in."

"So what then? Was it killed?"

"Impossible," Shiryou replied. "Actually, to be accurate, it's not even a true Bijuu, it's far older, but it's still a necessity if you want to use all of the Bijuu. No, it cannot be destroyed, not permanently. It feeds off negative emotions, the darkness within people, which it transforms into dark chakra, giving it strength and life. Since there is always at least _some_ negative emotions in people's hearts, it lives. There is only _one_ explanation that I can think of."

"It's inside a host?" Naruto offered.

"No, anyone who allows _that_ parasite inside them becomes emotionally unstable," was Shiryou's answer, long silver tresses swaying as he shook his head lightly. "We would've heard something about a raving lunatic with abnormal, inhuman powers by now, or something to that effect. It's more likely that it's sleeping, or hibernating, until a host with sufficient negative emotions is presented before it. It would awaken and use those emotions to resurrect itself, presumably, into the body of the host. We are lucky it hasn't taken a host for thousands of years, so Akuryou is left unaware. So few know about the Reibi that not even whispers of rumors find their way to his ears."

Naruto sifted through the facts Shiryou had told him thus far about Akuryou. After a few moments' thought, he realized a contradiction.

"You said Akuryou uses the Bijuu a lot in his attempts to destroy the Doushikai. How could he do that if he doesn't know about the Reibi? Doesn't he need them all together?"

"Exactly. That's the edge we have against him, our last defense. Even if he kills you and captures all nine Bijuu, he still wouldn't have the Zero-Tails. He'd take countless lives, but he still can't claim victory. As long as Reibi is kept secret, we still have a chance."

An uncomfortable silence arose between the two as they continued their trek towards Muraki's home. Naruto pondered the Reibi and how he thought it should be dealt with. _'If I can find Reibi before Akuryou and destroy it without waking it up, there's no way he'll get his hands on it.'_ Still, Naruto had no idea of the extent of Akuryou's power.

Naruto bored his eyes into the dark cloak of the spirit before him. "Honestly, which side is more powerful at this time? Yin, or Yang?"

"..."

"Tell me! It's important right?"

Shiryou sighed heavily. "It's not as cut-and-dry as it seems. Power fluctuates wildly, changes hands constantly. We have more spirits and youkai clans on our side, or at least opposed to Akuryou's side. But Akuryou has far more _individual_ demons on his side, and the spirits that _do_ ally with him are horrifyingly powerful," his voice dropped into darker, serious tones. "But more spirits and youkai are neutral than anything else. These internal conflicts are the immediate danger... though we can't do much to solve them."

"Why?" Naruto tripped on a small ridge of stone, nearly losing his balance. How long, how far had they walked so far?

He cursed his clumsy body; ever since Shiryou had begun full-contact training, his motor skills needed several hours' of rest to return to proper working order. Even then, he still felt weakened for several days. A seven year olds' body had limits, youkai-possessed or not.

"The youkai solve issues within their society; no outside influence. The heads of youkai clans form a council of sorts, but many clan heads are missing, imprisoned, or wandering the Chuushin Daichi*, the land where the humans live. Take the Bijuu for example, nearly all of them are the heads of their respective clans. But even then, with all clan heads present, settling disputes is difficult.

"You see, Naruto," he clarified, "Dogs, wolves, and foxes are all canine, thus loosely affiliated and allied, as they share common interests and beliefs. The same with cats, tigers, and panthers, which are all feline. If one group, say the Tora, the tiger clan, is having a dispute with the Inu, the dog clan, their allies will be obligated to back them up. Instead of a small-scale skirmish between a couple of persons, you get a full-blown war between the clans."

"So agreements between all clans are rare, and the clans are divided in who they support?" Naruto offered uncertainly. He didn't think demons were organized like this. From the stories villagers told, they were mindless, destructive killing machines. But this reality of them existing in clans gave them a second, more civilized side.

"Exactly. But at least they have a political system. The spirits are another issue entirely..."

"Are they really so different?"

"Like you wouldn't believe. Spirits have a tendency to be quite bullheaded and stubborn. In most cases, they live alone, rarely interacting with each other. That's how it is for the nature spirits, anyway."

"Is there a difference between the members Doushikai and the nature spirits?"

"Yes, a massive one: the Doushikai is composed entirely of former humans, like I said earlier, while nature spirits are born from either the union of two spirits, or asexually born from a single spirit."

"A..sexually?" Naruto pronounced oddly, studying the word. "What are those? Are they unlike normal-born spirits?"

"Somewhat. Their powers are exact copies of their parent, while natural-born spirits' are often similar to both parents, which allows them flexibility with their talents. Most spirits stay within their respective elements, though."

"Why do it...asexually though?" Naruto asked, intrigued. He'd never expected something so obscure as asexual reproduction to become their conversational topic. He really didn't even know what the term meant to begin with.

Shiryou turned his head back to look at the young blond and rubbed his neck, flashing a seemingly flustered smile. "W-well, some spirits want a child to take over their responsibilities," the Jikogiseishi managed to say. _'Is it really my job as his Nakitama Fukei to give him sex ed. lessons? I don't think that's an appropriate subject for a spirit guardian to teach...'_ Reaffirming himself, Shiryou continued, "Others can't find suitable partners, yet still want to experience raising a child. We don't know why most do it, but we assume it's out of necessity, to... preserve the bloodlines, so-to-speak."

Ten minutes of fairly awkward, silent walking later, the path leveled off into a tunnel, a torch lining the smooth walls every fifteen feet or so, a wispy, light-blue flame burning upon the wood, though Naruto could smell no smoke. The tunnel was about three meters high and five meters wide, the stone a pale grey. It curved slightly after twenty meters from the entrance. Halfway to that point, a stone door was set in the left-hand side of the tunnel, a darker color of mineral than the rest.

"Here we are, Naruto," Shiryou informed, standing in front of the entrance, index finger leveled at the blond's nose. "Be polite, he's the oldest living member of the Doushikai and very well-respected."

The spirit continued forward, stopping before the slab of stone. Naruto positioned himself behind his guardian, discerning a thin crevice along one side. Shiryou rapped his knuckles against the door.

"Mura-jii. Open the _damn_ door."

_'Not respected by _you_ I guess,'_ Naruto jeered silently. Deep within his mind, he heard the raspy, deep bass of the Kyuubi's chuckling.

A few seconds later, the slab swung inwards, grinding against the tunnel's floor.

"Hello..." a voice greeted, a soft wheezing breath, like a gentle wind, could be heard. "Shiryou-kouzo..." the wizened old man smiled from behind the door. "And... You must be Naruto... Welcome..."

The slab swung in further, wide enough for the pair to slip through. Inside, Naruto espied an unusual living quarters. Some modern technology, fused with a traditional-styled feel, built out of the rock of Heionkaze's innards. An old man, bald but with a pointed beard and kind eyes, motioned for them to enter.

"Come on in! We've got something very important to do, right? Naruto-kouzo...?"

* * *

_Kage no Sakai__- __Honkyo, Meeting Hall_

In this land, there was no peace, no tranquility, for it had been crushed under the foot of a devil. There was only death, and cruelty...

In this land, there was no tree, no plant, for they had been destroyed by the hand of a monster. There was only stone, and ash...

And in this land, there is not one living creature that does not serve the Taigen no Yin, the king of this world of shadows, Akuryou.

Devoid of light, Kage no Sakai was always cast in darkness; a faint, ambient radiance that existed within the sky moved in an capricious path, granting some a glimmer of light, and others a pitch-black sorrow. The only structure recognizable in the wide, windswept plain is that of the _Honkyo_, the dwelling of Akuryou himself. It was a tall, forboding, yet ultimately barren structure, lacking any outward decoration; it rose into the twilight sky, stone slabs locking and interweaving to create the solid fortress. The stone was a pale, lifeless, bleak grey, only two windows were visible on the barren exterior of the desolate palace; a lonely transom near the peak of the single tower, and a second, soaring gap in the castle wall a few floors down, paned with a dark blue glass; allowing the faint, natural light to spill into the unofficial meeting room for Akuryou's trusted and wise subordinates.

"Where the hell is that asshole!" grunted a man with spiked, dark green hair, highlighted with lighter, emerald streaks. He was youngish; no longer a teen, but far from losing his youth; his muscles, though lacking the tone he had once took pride in, still rippled with an unmistakable inner strength. He had a scar that trailed lazily from above his right temple to below his azure-colored eye; a tattoo mirrored the scar in an indigo stripe down the opposite half of his face. The man was garbed in a dark brown leather vest over bare skin. For his legs, a silver-buckled belt held up his loose navy-colored hakama in place of a traditional sash.

"'e said to be in the meeting hall and wait until he arrived! Bastard..." His small hoop earring shone dully in the low light. He had just been woken up, much to his displeasure, after finally getting to a good, sound sleep he had been striving for, his bothersome lord burst in, rousing him from sleep with a loud, obtrusive voice.

"Compose yourself, Kaizou-kun," another man, this one with long black tresses and a pair of half-moon spectacles attempted to calm his irritated comrade. His loose white robes hid his wiry build from sight, though his hands showed signs of disciplined use.

"Do _not_ speak of Taigen-sama in such a way. I will _not_ allow it."

"I wasn't talkin' to you _Jin_! And I'll _talk_ about 'im _however_ I _want_ Izumi!"

They all sat at a table, twelve meters long and two meters wide, in high-backed, burgundy-padded onyx chairs. There were seven of them gathered in all; two were otherwise occupied, and three neglected to show up; still asleep most likely. They were waiting on their lord, Akuryou, to appear; he hadn't called them together for quite some time. Along one side of the table sat the irate Kaizoudo, hulking Onigiri, and chain-smoking Kakan. On the other was Jintoku, Izumi, Yonezu, and Akamizu.

"He's going to be here, so shut the hell up..." a middle-aged man with messy, black hair, a strained temper, and a smoldering cigarette muttered. "I _told_ you I hate noise-_rouga_*." He took a long drag before bringing his sandaled feet up onto the table to rest.

"They _always_ seem to force you into the position of peacekeeper, hmm? Kakan-chan~?" A man, silhouetted in the lofty doorway, called softly.

All seated at the table, save for Jintoku, flicked their eyes over to the magnificently opulent door that now stood open, light beaming forth from the hallway opposite of the entrance to illuminate the figure.

Beautiful silver hair, perfectly maintained, fell down around his shoulders. His eyes, a liquid amber, shined healthily above a thin, supple pair of vibrant red-hued lips, above which rested a finely sculpted nose. He was garbed in a flawless white from head to toe, which covered his slender form wonderfully; even his delicate hands were gloved in a soft satin. A white three-piece suit, from which the platinum chain of a pocketwatch could be seen dangling loosely; with matching tie, white slacks, and white scarf. All spotless and shining brightly in the dark, poorly lit room.

"Unfortunately," was the unenthusiastic, simple reply, accompanied by a cloud of smoke.

A young girl with bright red hair styled into twin, spiraling pigtails and draped in an oversized black cloak that dwarfed her body, raised her voice. "Show our lord proper respect," Izumi commanded in a voice deeper and more strict than what would suit her looks. In her hands she lightly caressed a plush rabbit.

"No, no. It is quite all right." His kind voice was as sweet as honey. So enticing, it called for you to listen, if _only_ for a while, to give it your attention, if only for a _moment_. It belied his coldblooded nature.

A demon in the skin of an angel.

"If I might ask, Taigen-sama..." Jintoku solicited in his ever-pleasant, yet somewhat insincere speech, pushing his delicate spectacles further up his nose. "What have you assembled us for? It is not the everyday occasion that leads you to waking us so..._unexpectedly_."

Still concealed in shadows, Akuryou spread his arms, lifting the tails of his scarf in doing so. "Ah, yes, thank you for reminding me! It seems _another_ prophetic being has been called into service."

Kaizoudo grinned in excitement, pointed canines gleaming in the sparse light. "Finally! It's been _ages_ since we've gotten some fresh air! I've been itchin' for a good fight." It was true, he hadn't fought anyone for a very long time, since the last time he had been awakened by Akuryou, in fact. It was so rare now, when Akuryou required the help of his most trusted subordinates; they had really been going to waste.

Down at the furthest reaches of the table, a shivering, breathless voice uttered: "_It has been far too long_..." Yonezu, from within his hooded scarlet robes, coughed weakly. "_Too long since we walked_... _Among the living_..."

"I thought so too!" Akuryou added happily, raising a gloved finger. "I don't know _where_ he is yet, but he'll be strong! _Very_ strong." A genuinely gleeful smile graced his lips. It had been so long since he'd had the opportunity to have some _decent_ fun. Toying with humans had its own brand of enjoyment for him to savor, but it was like playing chess without an adversary. And _this_ time, it would be his most desired opponent of all.

"Where is he?" Kaizoudo asked eagerly, slamming a fist onto the long, marble table. "I wanna rip 'im apart!" His pale eyes twinkled restlessly, hungering for excitement, the chance to stretch his muscles and dust off his abilities once more.

"Somewhere in the..._Western_ continent, I think," Akuryou tapped his chin in thought, before waving his hand in a circle, dismissing any certainty. "Probably the Shinobi Godaikoku. His _Kenshugo_ is blocking his location, so I _can't_ be sure."

"Anything else?"

"Yes, Kakan-chan. He's _close_ to receiving his weapon, I can _feel_ the disturbance in the leyline~!" He continued, wrapping his long, lithe arms around himself and trembling joyously. "He'll be ready in a few years~! Also..." Akuryou smiled broadly to himself, returning to a more dignified stance. "He seems to be in the care of none other than Shiryou-chan."

"Is that so?" Jintoku pondered amusingly, lacing his fingers and shutting his eyes in concentration. "What an _interesting_ remnant from the past! It has been so long, I'd nearly forgotten he still lived."

Akuryou gave another, somewhat sinister smile, his pearly teeth gleaming brightly. "_And_ the boy in question contains the Kyuubi no Kitsune... What _fun_ it shall be..."

Kakan exhaled a long puff of smoke, mouth contorting in a mix of boredom and personal inconvenience. "Sounds like a winning combination... Well, _losing_ in our case. We'll have to be careful this time."

"Don't worry so much Kacchan!" Akuryou replied cheerfully, spinning around in circles behind his gruff subordinate with outstretched arms. "I have _faith_ in all of you, yes I do!"

He giggled to himself as he recovered from his dizziness before wandered out of the meeting room into the bright hallway, wiping a thin trail of saliva from the corner of his mouth. "Shiryou-chan, Shiryou-chan, I'm going to find you~! I can't _wait_ until we play together~!" Dropping into a barely audible whisper, eyes flashing with a malicious resolve, he added: _"Just wait, Sano-chan, I'm gunning for you..."_

Yawning slightly, Kakan flicked the remnants of his cigarette away. "Now, we wait..." His murky eyes closed jadedly. "...Izumi, Onigiri, Yonezu: You three go to the Chuushin Daichi and contact our agents there, I guess," he ordered lazily. "Have them start searching for the kid, or whatever. _Quietly_. Word-of-mouth is better to actually tracking him down."

Onigiri bowed his head in respect. Silent until now, Onigiri was a large man dressed in a loose set of kabuki-esque raiment; a short blue kimono top with matching-colored pants over a thick armor-mesh undergarment. A darker blue cloak was wrapped around his wide shoulders, with two apple-sized white circles at chest-lever on either side, and the sleeves cut off at the shoulders. He had long white hair, with shoulder-length bangs striped with horizontal streaks of black framing his kabuki-painted face. "I understand and obey, taichou-dono."

Izumi stroked the head of her plush absentmindedly; now that the Taigen no Yin was gone, so was her interest in the matter she was mired in. "Hnn."

Yonezu only folded his hands in his lap and continued his sickly inhalations.

Kakan rubbed his head as he thought of what else he should have them do. The fewer of them around, the quieter it would be. "Akamizu, Jintoku... you two go to... some of the youkai clans that are loyal to us and have them keep an ear out for the kid too. The Kyuubi being gone should be a well-talked topic with them. Start with the Hebi and Tora, they're some of the strongest." _'And furthest away...'_ "Anything about the Biju or Jinchuuriki is good... That boy isn't our only target."

Jintoku smiled and accepted the orders gladly, Akamizu at his side remained silent. His deep scarlet hair flowed down to the middle of his back, impeccably straight and silky, bangs held back by a strip of dark purple cloth. Pitch black eyes as deep and dark as the abyss hid all emotion as he stared down at the table, fingers twitching every few moments. He was one of the more... _odd_ members of their group.

Kakan placed another cigarette between his lips, ignoring the others around him to focus on dealing out tasks in order to get some quiet. "The other five are not here...bastards... Even though I told them how important it was-rouga..." He shook his head irritably and puffed more heavily on his tobacco, which he realized was not yet smoldering. Kakan turned bleary-eyed to the last member present. "Kaizoudo... until we gather the others... you are going to the Chuushin Daichi to... assist in the acquisition of the Biju."_ 'That should keep him out of trouble... and away from me.'_ "That means any information about the Biju the rest of you discover should be sent to Kaizoudo too..."

Kaizoudo quivered happily. "Heh! I can't wait!" He gripped the edges of his seat in anticipation. He hadn't even been awake for a full day and already had been starting to go stir-crazy.

"Listen," Kakan clarified, digging into his pocket, pulling out a shiny object. "I said _assist._ Do you know what _assist _means?"

"I'm not a dumbass, 'course I do!"

Kakan lit his cigarette with a scarred and tarnished silver lighter. "Let me spell it out..." The dark-haired superior sucked on the cylinder until it began to burn, breathing deeply to enjoy his vice. "You will help_ from the sidelines—_" _'Fuck... That's good...'_ _"—_Do _not_ let anyone know who you are. Do _not_ fight them directly."

"Why do you gotta take th' fun outta everything?"

"People find sustenance from food," Kakan answered, breathing out smoke with what could conceivably be called a smile. "Plants get it from light, and animals from each other. I find it in the _misery_ I can inflict on you."

"Don't make fun of me!"

_'You make it so easy, Kaizou-kun,'_ Jintoku commented internally, disrupting his deep state of tortuous scheming.

* * *

_Heionkaze, Kaminari no Kuni__ -__Temple Catacombs, Muraki's home_

For the past few hours, the old swordsmith had been asking Naruto all sorts of questions: his childhood, beliefs, skills, favorite foods. Some made sense, and others had been extremely vague or off-topic, but the young boy trusted that there was some method to the madness.

"So, how old are you, Naruto-kouzo?"

The blond scratched his head tiredly. "Seven."

Was _this_ what it was like for Shiryou when Naruto asked him questions? Excruciating.

"Hmm. Younger than most. Not necessarily a _bad_ thing, but..." the elderly man trailed off, scratching his nose as he mused to himself. "You've gotten your Kenshugo, I assume?"

"That's what Shiryou says."

"And have been made aware of Kyuubi?"

"Yeah, a few months ago," he answered with a yawn.

"What do you plan to do with the..." Muraki scrunched his face and rotated his wrist, searching for a suitable label, "...the _gift_... of renewed life bestowed upon you? How will you repay this debt?" The swordsmith pierced Naruto with his stare, like an eagle studying its' prey, looking beneath the surface of the child. Deep down into Naruto's very being, as far down as his keen insight could take him, sifting through the false and the redundant to reveal truth.

Naruto hadn't really thought about it. Sure, he planned on fighting Akuryou, but was that all? He had a chance to do some good for this world, but what deed should he accomplish? He thought in silence, the sharp eyes of Muraki studying his every feature. He was alive, Naruto knew he should be thankful for that, but before his brush with death, he had just been going through the motions, conceited and blind to the troubles of others around him.

Could he really change so quickly? Already he had a noticeable change in attitude, most obvious in how he acted around Shiryou, who had become his, for lack of a better word, best friend. Slowly, Naruto admitted to himself, he had loosened up with other kids his age; Shikamaru, who would refer to everything with a worn-out _"mendokuse"_, as troublesome or tedious. Kiba was rougher, more of a pest than the others, constantly getting in trouble. Choji was the most cheerful, smiling at all times, especially when with Shikamaru, his best friend, or when eating his favorite flavor of chips. Shino... He honestly didn't know much about Shino, aside from the fact he was quiet, wore circular-rimmed sunglasses, and seemed to be a bug enthusiast.

But Sasuke was another story entirely. The young Uchiha had really been his first attempt to act more...casual...more outgoing and kind towards someone. He had stumbled at first, but then it got easier. Naruto talked with him about all sorts of things, and had even been to Sasuke's home a few times. It was nice; a traditional home with tatami mats for the indoors and hardwood flooring for the open areas. A nice garden with a koi pond, and a bamboo water feature along the edge lining the foot-thick stone wall bordering the house. Sasuke, whenever Naruto looked without the Uchiha noticing, seemed uneasy, or worried...

These people were what Naruto would apprehensively call friends, and something deep inside him wanted to protect them.

"Well..." he started nervously. _'Drawing on what happened to me might work...' _"...I guess I want to help those in trouble... To save lives, maybe... and help the people that aren't part of this war."

"And how do you plan to do that?"

Naruto chewed this question thoroughly, as thoroughly as his tired, overtaxed, seven-year-old mind could. He made a good point, the thought of helping others was noble, but the execution was key. Naruto attempted to glean insight from past experiences once again. He was already going to be both a ninja, apparently, and a warrior for the Doushikai, but there was more he could do. What about _after_ he defeated Akuryou? The ANBU were reliable, and had safeguarded him many times. No, it still wasn't good enough, joining the ANBU wouldn't give him the tools he needed. Naruto was thinking large-scale. He needed a position of influence, of _power_. It struck him instantly.

"I...I'll... become the Godaime Hokage...?" he blurted out, posing it more as a question than a statement. His daze had been shocked away with this new realization.

The Hokage watched over the entire village, he protected it with his very existence. The Sandaime had guarded Naruto's safety his whole life, well, the best he could, anyway; now Naruto felt he should do the same for everyone else. The Hokage was the head of Konohagakure no Sato, the ninja village of Hi no Kuni, the strongest shinobi nation. The Hokage had influence over the _entire _Shinobi Godaikoku. If he wanted to protect the innocent, besides becoming the daimyo of Hi no Kuni, this was the position that was best for the job.

"Really? Godaime Hokage, eh? I see..." The elderly swordsmith puffed on an antique, carved kiseru pipe with tarnished silver furnishings. He smoked for a moments time before seemingly accepting the blonds' choice. "Then...all that's left is to match you with a weapon, it seems."

_'Finally...'_

Muraki raised a gaunt finger and pointed at the far end of the three-sectioned chamber that served as his home, at a wooden door with black iron fittings. Lines of wood-burned characters and symbols snaked and wound their way across the door, Naruto could only pick out a few scattered words; "Head", "Chasm" or "Fissure"— the character used, Naruto noticed, could also have been slang for a certain...area of female anatomy— also mentioned quite often, to Naruto's discomfort, was "Blood".

The swordsmith stood, bracing himself against the smooth walls of his subterranean home, motioning Naruto rise.

"Behind that door lies the most varied and powerful collection of spirit-possessed weaponry ever gathered by the Doushikai." He walked at a snail's pace, guiding the blond forward. Muraki's soft, aged voice echoed through the granite chamber. "You will not see _every_ artifact, however, as we will leave as soon as you experience a suitable connection."

Naruto looked back at Shiryou, still lounging languidly at Muraki's stone table. The apathetic spirit waved him away indifferently, content with the tranquility and silence solitude provided.

As if on cue, the symbols on the wood glowed momentarily, before the door creaked open. It revealed a corridor well-lit by ghostly blue torches, with many alcoves branching off to the sides. The main area was six meters wide, and four meters tall, a passage that wound its' way into darkness, until it hit a dead-end far off into the distance.

"It's not as large as it seems." Could this old man read minds? Naruto was reminded too much of Shiryou.

Ledges carved out of stone, metal hooks, wooden barrels and numerous other media were used to display the fantastic array of armaments that filled the different cavities of the vault. There was no discernable order or arrangement that Naruto could see; just weapons crammed into any space available.

There were swords of every shape, size, and style; most were katana, but there existed dozens of kinds Naruto had never seen before, elaborate, foreign blades from far-off lands. There were polearms like the naginata, a bladed staff, and spears like the bishamon yari, double crescent blades on either side of a long spearpoint.* Bows, knives, hammers, axes, scythes, clubs. Every conceivable type of fighting implement existed somewhere in this crypt, stuffed into a crack in the wall or at the bottom of a steel-belted barrel.

"At one time, this room was used as a burial chamber for the temple monks," Muraki began softly, caressing the smooth stone wall with his fingertips as he traveled slowly down the vault's corridor, blue torchlight illuminating his simple, loose clothes; brown pants tied with rope and an off-white shirt that seemed to be two sizes too large. "They had carved the tunnel outside as an alternative route to the base of Heionkaze, so they could travel down the mountain without braving the elements. After that, they built the catacombs as future resting places for their deceased brethren."

Naruto looked around curiously. Somewhere in this mountain was the final resting place for the bodies of the dead monks... It was both spine-chilling and somewhat _thrilling_, in a macabre sense.

The elderly man walked along the path to a mural carved into the rock, about halfway between the entrance and the dead-end of the tunnel. It depicted what several people, all gathered around a single man Naruto assumed to be the head monk, the one who discovered the spiritual leyline and prophesized the future. He sat in a meditative pose, wispy lines carved around him to signify the spiritual energy enveloping him, as the other monks prayed for his safety. "This is _also_ the location in which the 38th head monk discovered the spiritual leyline. This is where it can be felt strongest, you see."

He grinned and turned to Naruto. "That is also why the Doushikai stores these spiritual weapons here. It helps to shield them from Akuryou."

"Why doesn't Akuryou know where the temple is? He was once a member of the Doushikai, right?"

Muraki scratched his jaw and leaned back against the chamber's wall. "Oh, indeed he was. But not _all_ Doushikai know where the temple is. Only those who become Nakitama Fukei, the 'spirit guardians' who will bring children of prophecy like yourself here are told of its location," the old man paused to inhale a sapphire-hued vapor from his pipe.

"Akuryou was a Nakitama Fukei, yes, but _long_ before Heionkaze was made the only place the children were brought to. Before that, the locations where the prophesized were sent to were scattered in several places all over the planet, each with a small collection of armaments. At most, he knows it exists on a large mountain somewhere on this continent. We only began storing the weapons here because of Akuryou's defection; if one of the minions under his influenced found a cache of weapons like these, hundreds, or even thousands could be slaughtered."

Naruto swallowed nervously. He hated being nervous.

"S-so... Which one will I use?" he managed to utter.

The old man's eyes gained a steely glint. "Do _not_ be disillusioned, boy," he growled coldly. "These are not mere _tools._ You don't _use _them, you _cooperate_ with them. Each and every weapon houses a spirit; souls with unique powers and personalities. They are sentient. They are _alive."_

The young blond cast his gaze downward. Naruto hadn't meant to belittle them.

Muraki studied the boys face, then resumed his kind old smile. "It's alright. It must be difficult for you to grasp that they are living..." He paused to take a drag of bluish smoke from his pipe. "Spirits' powers vary. Most control an element. Others can alter reality, what _is_ and _isn't_ physically possible. Twisting time, modifying space. Some do little but enhance your own abilities," Muraki let the smoke filter out his nostrils. "But what you must remember is that even if two spirits possess identical powers, their skill may be radically different."

"What's the strongest power?"

The swordsmith chuckled in amusement. "No ability in itself is superior to another. It all depends on how the ability is used."

"Then... Which is the most powerful weapon here?"

"..." Muraki's face held a smile, though it seemed quite forced. "I should say that, just as their abilities are, no spirit is stronger than another... But that is not necessarily true. A few spirits are on an _entirely_ different level than the rest."

Another puff of smoke floated by.

"But what is _most _important is how well suited the wielder and weapon are for each other."

"How do we find that out? Do we ask the spirits? Do they know who should wield them already?"

The elderly man chuckled again. "So sharp! So many questions! I _wish_ it were that easy. No, while a spirit-possessed weapon is within this vault, it lays dormant. It helps to preserve their strength, hide them from Akuryou. Even if they were awake, few if any would know their ideal match. The only way is to gauge how severely they react when they come into contact with you. Just run your hand over them one at a time, get a good feel. Reach out with your mind, with your _heart_." Muraki winked kindly, "Heart. That's the important part, remember it."

Naruto shuffled hesitantly to the nearest room branching off the tunnel, standing himself before a rack of swords. He placed his hand on the first one at waist level, a beautiful green-colored tachi*, similar to a katana yet with a more prominent curve, decorated with gold chasings. He gripped the saya* tightly, waiting for a reponse.

After a minute or so of concentration, Muraki, who had been watching closely, shook his head. "Nope, not for you. A shame, it's a gorgeous weapon," the swordsmith sighed and took in another cloud of smoke from his pipe. "Oh well... On to the next."

Naruto flicked his vision to the next sword up, a red tsurugi, a straight-bladed weapon with a scratched saya and nicked tsuba*. He removed the heavy sword and gripped it between both hands, reaching out as best he could to the spirit within the.

* * *

_Konohagakure no Sato__-__Nakano River, 12:46 a.m._

The young ANBU cleaned the gore from his kunai in the slow-moving icy river, preparing a minor _Katon_ jutsu to incinerate his blood-splattered clothes. The corpse of his foe lay a few meters away, wrapped in cloth to absorb the blood as it leaked from open wounds.

The ANBU was injured, but not severely. Honestly, he had prepared himself for far worse. No one faced Shunshin no Shisui and walked away unscathed. But that task was completed, the first step successfully accomplished, however unpleasant it had been.

Uchiha Itachi looked up at the bright moon, barely visible through the overcast sky. His eyes itched and burned.

_'It's almost over...'_

He had to hold everything together for just a bit longer.

* * *

_Weapon Vault, Four hours later..._

"Wow..." Muraki rubbed his head. "It doesn't normally take this long..."

"Don't blame me," the blond muttered crossly.

"Maybe you're just slow."

"Shut up!"

"Or defective. That could be it."

"I said quit it!"

"It's too bad there wasn't a recall on your model, maybe we could've gotten a refund from the manufacturers."

_'Maybe I'm having too much fun at his expense...'_ Muraki posed to himself.

"What the hell's that supposed to mean?" Naruto snapped hotly, blushing in anger. It was mostly because he didn't fully understand the insult, which made him feel even more foolish, which in his mind, only backed up Muraki's insults.

_'Or... Perhaps just the right amount.'_

So far, Naruto had tried over one hundred and twenty various types of swords, eighteen spears, six _naginata_, three bows, five axes, a set of trench knives, and a scythe. Barely a flicker of energy from any of them.

The young blond set down the pale purple-handled _ninjatou_ he had just finished with and moved to the next row of sword racks. He studied the sheathed blades; red, blue, green, white. The colors just mixed together, the weapons might as well have been copies of each other. None of them felt right.

Naruto rolled his eyes around the weapon vault. Something caught his eye. At the dead-end of the tunnel.

"Hey, Jijii."

"Hmm?"

Naruto gestured a lazy finger towards the back of the chamber. "What's behind that door?"

It was made of a heavy onyx metal, riveted along the edges with numerous talismans and _sutras_ placed over its' surface, the same ancient scrawled characters from the wooden door they had walked through four hours earlier inked upon them. Round with an eight foot diameter, it was set into the solid stone, an impregnable vault within the vault.

Muraki puffed on his pipe and studied the blond with one eye. _'Hmm... I wonder. Couldn't hurt, I suppose.'_

"That... is where damaged, or dangerous, weapons are kept until they are made safe and usable."

"Dangerous how?"

The swordsmith searched for the right words. "Well..." he began slowly. "Sometimes, the ritual to possess a weapon with a spirit goes wrong. The spirits' powers might be let loose by accident, you see, so until the mistake is corrected, they are kept back there. The room is lined with a special mineral that cancels out most of their spiritual energy."

"What if the weapon I'm supposed to have is back there?"

The swordsmith snorted humorously. "Then _you're_ outta luck Naruto-kouzo. Resign yourself to death or obscurity, 'cause those are your only options."

The old man's wit was a tad sinister for his taste. Sighing, Naruto grabbed the katana nearest to him.

It was black, the wrapping of the handle just a shade lighter than the sheath, the bright gold diamond pattern along the tsuka* created by the wrapping shone in the low light. The guard was a dark black metal, matching the endcap on the hilt. It's length a few inches shorter than the norm, it was still very large when compared to himself. After several seconds of disappointment, he still felt nothing.

And then, a spark.

Just a tiny little jolt; barely noticeable but in his fingertips.

A massive shock of electricity fired through his body, just after the initial spark died. It ran like a maddened beast through his veins and spread rapidly to every extremity, numbing his fingers and toes, tongue and ears. It was excruciating, yet incredibly _pleasant_. He could feel his mouth and eyes water, skin grow hot, and muscles tense as the energy rocked his frame.

It burned through his body like wildfire, igniting his senses and setting them ablaze. As he experienced the current, visible bolts of yellow energy gathered around the sheathed blade, crackling merrily as if rejoicing in their very existence. They raced up and down, twisting around the katana as they chased each other gleefully.

"Now _that's_ what we're lookin' for! Wuhahoo! That's a damn strong reaction, Naruto-kouzo!" Muraki chuckled joyously, his scrawny body quaking with the escalating bouts of laughter.

_'Odd. Didn't expect the very next one to react with him, especially after I teased him like that. I wonder, is fate laughing at me?'_

As the energy died down, Naruto struggled to stay on his feet, his legs weakened from the bliss left in its' wake, widening his stance just to stay up. He watched as a flicker of electricity crackled down the sheath, wrapping around the black wood before fizzling out.

"Whoa..."

"Felt good right? That's a good sign! Means you two are incredibly compatible!" Muraki laughed and took a puff on his pipe. _'Almost as good a reaction as yours' Sanosuke-kouzo! I'm gettin' more 'n more interested in this boy of yours!'_

"Come on Naruto-kouzo! Let's go back to Shiryou-kouzo, I'm sure he'll be interested to find out about your new companion. Who knows? He might already know him. He knows a lot of these guys!"

Muraki hummed as he strolled his way back down to the rune-covered door, puffing on his old pipe, acting as if he was fifty years younger.

_'And so a new story begins... I love a good adventure tale. I wonder where his will lead him...?'_ Muraki smiled happily. _'I'm sure you're concerned as well, eh? Sanosuke-kouzo?'_

* * *

_Heionkaze, Kaminari no Kuni__-__Temple Catacombs, Muraki's home_

Shiryou, who had up until that moment had been basking in the blessing of seclusion with a mug of chilled tea, sneezed violently. He hated sneezing; it hurt the back of his throat and covered whatever was in front of him with a mist of his own mucus.

The mug tilted, spilling cold ginseng on his silk shirt. The spirit surveyed the damage: the liquid was rapidly absorbed into the extravagant white fabric, staining it with the tea's scent and color.

"...Fuck."

* * *

**Author's note: **If you didn't get the end, in Japanese culture, it is believed that when you sneeze it is because someone is talking about you. It was a bit tacked on, admittedly, but I felt it needed a little something. I wonder if I should have made it longer? FYI, the whole Reibi thing was spur of the moment. I saw Naruto: Bonds a few days earlier, and thought it would make a good addition to the story. It also gives me license to insert Amaru into the story. If I can't make it work in my head, I'll go back and edit it out.

In my mind, I find the story drifting to a loose harem-type relationship centered around Naruto So far I have... Four? Yeah, four I think not including those who flirt with him (Ayame), picked out. Think of who'd you like to see in the 'Harem' and drop me a review/PM.

I am unsure if I should keep the story in one long huge chunk with many, many chapters, or break it down into two or three smaller stories, with (estimated) 20-40 chapters (depending on length) each. I have...a couple places where I could break the story up into segments.

The obvious one after Sasuke Retrieval Arc is possible, though I can and will (if I must) use it, I will feel like _such_ a loser because _everyone_ does it... Just like how I feel when listening to Smells Like Teen Spirit. That is not a shot at Cobain or Nirvana, just at how _**everyone **_listens to it. A second is shortly after the fight with Pein, and a third after the current Five Kage Arc in the manga. A fourth would be sometime even later than that, something I won't have to worry about for quite some time. The fifth, which would be a definite choice, is after the death of someone close to Naruto.

**I could actually use input on the spot where, if I decide to do so, to break the story into separate parts.**

* * *

**ROMAJI/TRANSLATIONS/EXPLANTIONS/DICTIONARY: **You get the idea. (There are a LOT more this time...)

These are condensed descriptions, I know, so don't PM me with your panties, or man-panties as the case might be, in a bunch.

**Kenjutsu:** "Sword Technique". Basically, the art of using a sword, or a specific attack with a sword.

**Bokutou:** Wooden sword. Used for training purposes.

**Heionkaze: **Peaceful Wind. The mountain where the monks' temple is located. Muraki lives there and acts as it's caretaker.

**Lotus position:** the common position for meditation. You've all seen it. Legs crossed over each other... Yeah, _that's_ the one. Naruto's placement of his hands differs, though.

**Youkai:** though often translated as "Demon", the Japanese word does not carry the negative connotation, as youkai are not inherently evil.

**Keirakukei: **lit. Meridian System. The term for the channels within the body that transfer, build, and direct chakra.

**Tenketsu:** lit. "pressure points." Simply, nodes from which chakra can be released. There are 361 tenketsu in the body, each one a checkpoint on the Keirakukei. Though ninja use chakra regularly, very few ninja possess any great control over their tenketsu. Even Jonin are only capable of releasing a small amount of chakra through their hands or feet to increase the power of punches, jumps, or kicks. The Hyuuga, whose entire fighting style is based around manipulating the chakra pathway system, controlling the tenketsu is a regular matter. If all are closed, you die. That would suck.

**Hai: **It's the equivalent of "Yes." It could also be "Okay", or "I understand." You get the drift.

**ANBU**: Abbreviation for **An**satsu Senjutsu Tokushu **Bu**tai (Special Assassination and Tactical Squad). ANBU itself is lit. "Dark Side".

**coup d'état:** I'm sure most of you know, but a coup is the attempted overthrow of a certain regime or person, normally for self-gain.

**Kaminari no Kuni:** Lightning Country. Frequent storms, heavy cloud cover, tall mountains, etc.

**Nakitama Fukei: **Spirit guardian. Self-explanatory, no?

**Jikogiseishi:** lit. (with malleable phrasing) "Self-sacrificing warrior". A member of the Doushikai who agrees to be sent to the world of the living to fight on the front lines against the forces of Akuryou, or Akuryou himself, even if it means death. Eh, at least there's the job satisfaction. Fun Fact: Annual salary- $27,000.

**Shinto gate:** Damn near everyone who's read a manga or watched an anime has seen at least one. You see them along the paths to temples or shrines or the like. There is one at the entrance to the Heionkaze Temple.

**Reibi no Menhiru:** Zero-Tailed Masked Leech. A demon that survives by feeding off negative energy and emotions.

**Kage no Sakai: **lit. "Frontier (World) of Shadows." The dimension in which Akuryou and his forces reside..

**Shouhei no Sakai:** lit. "Frontier (World) of Peace." I know, the name is a little basic, but I like how it sounds. Where most spirits, not just Doushikai, reside. A few spirits live in the Middle ground, mostly nature spirits like water or forest deities.

**Akuryou:** "evil spirit". Formerly of the Doushikai, a spirit that became corrupted and entranced by the powers that he could obtain if he allowed darkness to consume him. More powerful than any individual spirit of the Doushikai. On a whim, I believe I'll make him homosexual. He's very laid back, letting Kakan take care of most issues involving work or ordering others around.

**Taigen no Yin:** lit. "Embodiment of the Shady Place." A title of reverence and respect within the Kage no Sakai, held by Akuryou.

**Yin:** lit. "Shady Place" or "North Slope." Generally considered bad. Yin is receptive, yielding, negative, and nurturing. It is associated with night, valleys, rivers, streams, water, metal, and earth. Gradually 'trades places' with Yang.

**Honkyo:** lit. "Fortress". Or stronghold.

**Izumi: **lit. "fountain" or "spring". Young, cold, merciless. Red hair, a tad depressing. Faithful to Akuryou alone. Carries a plush rabbit almost always. Rides on Onigiri's shoulder in place of walking.

**Jintoku:** lit.** "**benevolence". Outwardly, a very kind, soft spoken, intelligent man. Close to Kaizoudo. He's dressed rather like a monk, most of the time, loose white robes and open-toes sandals. Loves Pocky and is a vegetarian.

**Onigiri: **Oni: "demon". Giri: "courtesy". While looking to be quite the mountain of a man, Onigiri is very respectful and is careful not to overstep his bounds. Note that _onigiri_ is also the common name for a rice ball. Big, burly, but often very quiet. He only seems to willingly talk to Izumi, Kakan, and Akuryou. Loves fresh squid in his oden (type of noodle dish).

**Kaizoudo: **lit. Resolution. Fiery, hardheaded, bloodthirsty. He doesn't care if it's friend or foe, he just looks for his next good fight.

**Yonezu: **lit. Nocturnal. Odd, a bit creepy. His hair is brushed so that it drapes over his face and chest, as if his head had been spun around. He is very sickly, wrapping himself in thick red cloaks whenever he leaves his room or goes outside. Loves nattou (fermented bean paste).

**Akamizu: **lit. "Red Water." Reference to the term "rivers of blood ". A cold blooded killer. Loves Ramen.

**Kakan:** lit. "Determined." Somewhat rough, but keeps the gang together. Loves cigarettes... and well-made sake with his rice.

**Hakama:** the pants worn with kimono.

**-rouga: **Though it can be translated to "wolf's fang", when used as a suffix at the end of a sentence, it gives the impression of "-didn't I?" or "-didn't it?". It's like an affirmation/exclamation of something. Hard to explain.

**Shinobi Godaikoku: **Five Great Shinobi Countries. The five most powerful countries, Fire (Hi no Kuni), Water (Mizu no Kuni), Wind (Kaze no Kuni), Lightning (Kaminari no Kuni), and Earth (Tsuchi no Kuni).

**Kacchan: **It's like saying Ka-chan. Childish to the point of nausea.

**Chuushin Daichi: **lit**: "**Middle Ground." The term used for the dimensional plane the humans live on.

**-chan:** An honorific used to express endearment, mostly toward girls. Also used for little boys, pets, and even among lovers. It gives a sense of childish cuteness.

**-sensei: **literally, "one who has come before." Used for teachers, doctors, or masters of any profession or art.

**-kouzo:** youngster/kid/boy/brat. Though not technically an honorific, Muraki uses it with nearly everyone since he's so old, everyone is a 'youngster' compared to him. It can be taken as somewhat insulting depending on the inflection.

**-san: **most common honorific. All purpose. Think of it as Mr. or Ms.

**-sama: **one level above san. Confers great respect.

**Bishamon Yari: **Also known as the crescent moon spear. Two crescent blades attached to either side of a long spear blade.

**Tachi: **The tachi was the sword most used in Japan before the introduction of the katana. It follows a uniform curve, more so than a katana. Instead of being thrust through a sash, it had special cords that made it rest perfectly horizontal, parallel to the ground, when tied onto belt or obi sash. Wiki it for more info.

**Tsurugi:** Straight, double edged blade of Japanese origin.

**Shunshin no Shisui: **"Shisui of the Body Flicker"

**Saya: **the sheath.

**Tsuba:** the guard.

**Tsuka:** the handle.

**Jii/Jijii: **old man or grandfather.


	4. Machinations

**Naruto Reborn.**

By: Rasengan Master

You expected otherwise?

-0-

**Author's Pre-Chapter Note:** Oh my, life has continued to spiral deeper into the abyss of futility. Honestly, nothing truly interests me anymore. I can't find anything new and exciting. Oh well... at least this chapter is finally finished. I had it mostly done about five months ago, to tell the truth. I think that sounds right... Five months...

I have basically finalized everything up until the Chuunin Exam, though none of it is absolutely concrete. I say that, but I am seriously struggling with one event in the story that is absolutely crucial. Actually, I struggle with every line.

I should really get a Beta. Preferably one that likes the story. I keep second-guessing everything after seeing it posted.

You ever have one of those moments of INTENSE depression? I do. Except it's every second of every day of the piteous existence that is my life. Woe is me.

**ADDED 10-4-10, months after the chapter was written**

Ah, against what I would normally do, I am releasing this chapter. Finally. If anyone cared to notice, I altered sections of Chapter 1, to better ground Naruto as a kid, lowering his level of speech, and removing the mob to just have a single attacker. Seeing as I did this, it's highly likely I will go back and re-edit chapters 2 and 3 to follow this pattern, as well as removing any inconsistencies created due to the re-edit. If anyone who faved/alerted this still recall, vaguely, at one time, perhaps a whimsical second of blurred perception, that you found the tale a might engaging, a tad mysterious, or flecked with barely noticeable specks of humor, I pray you, read. But more importantly, tell me what it evokes, what it makes you feel deep inside. Point out shortcomings and contradictions, and if you wish, become an editor, if only for a single line. Be brutal. I want this story to realign itself as a work of merit. I want to consolodate what I have already written, then continue with a refreshed outlook on the story.

Well, my friend, or critic, or fan; continue, won't you?

* * *

**Chapter Four: Machinations**

_Please note that I am __**truly**__ sorry for my absence, but I was __**graduating**__ High School, and as such have been trying to spend as much time as possible with friends before we __**inevitably**__ part ways. I am deeply saddened that I will never see so many of my companions __**again**__... Though I graduated in May, I still have written very little. Won't someone help? Ah, it's unimportant._

* * *

_Apartment Building, Room 301_

_Beep... Beep... Beep... _

Naruto groaned from within the tangled ball of sheets that lay upon his bed. He thrust out an arm, searching for an opening in the textile prison. Naruto felt cool air bathe his bare skin as he reached over to hit the snooze button on his alarm. The small digital clock fell silent as the ninja slid his legs, one at a time, over the edge of his bed, slowly began his morning routine.

His tangled blond hair fell limp and dry around his ears while Naruto bent forward, fingertips brushing his toes as a series of cracks echoed from his spine. A sore-throated yawn forced its' way past his tonsils as he repeated the stretching in reverse, hands braced against hips as he bowed his back and craned his neck.

Clammy fingers rubbed sleep from his blurred eyes, while deadened feet trudged to the small apartments' closest window.

Naruto heaved the frost-covered pane upward and lay rest his arms upon the sill, shivering momentarily as a blast of frozen—but invigorating— February air smote his body. The thick layers of snow piled upon rooftops and sidewalks had begun to shrink as winter drew to a close, a sight the young boy would sorely miss. Even though Hi no Kuni was in the temperate zone for the most part, it still experienced a healthy snowfall during the coldest days of winter.

Dawn had just shattered the morning stillness, bands of flaming red, orange, purple and blue radiated outward as the sun began its' journey skyward. Naruto relished the below-freezing temperature, blowing his softly on bare hands to prevent further numbing.

If he enjoyed mornings like this while his life was not his own, then he could not picture how much more sublime it would be when he had fulfilled his obligation.

_'It's odd,'_ Naruto said to himself while running a hand through his slightly dirtied hair. _'Being a debtor not in wealth, but life. How difficult it is to determine the value of one's own life. I suppose one could easily sell himself short.'_

When had he discovered such loquacious speech? His newfound syntax was a bit too scholarly, even within his own head. From what Shiryou had meanderingly explained was that each individual has the mental capacity to become fascinatingly intelligent at a young age, while the brain is in the highest state of development, which is when information is processed, learned, and locked inside the chambers of his mind.

While most children spent their formative years disregarding school and focusing on pointless, yet attention-garnering games with friends, Naruto had read books. He had pondered upon great mysteries and studied those already solved. Though Shiryou admitted that this was the most likely case, it was only fueled by both his recent inhabitance within Naruto and the several years that Kyuubi's mysterious energies had time to wreak untold havoc to his body and mind.

Though it made him far more intelligent than the average child of his age, it also caused him to become horribly withdrawn both to the world and those around him. If he became more social, he would probably experience a noticeable drop of his intelligence, as Naruto had so little practice in such matters, the effect on his mental state could twist it to an unrecognizable shadow of its former self.

With another completely unnecessary flip of his hair, an act of preening that seemed so ingrained into his personality that Naruto doubted he even noticed he did it, or if he did, Shiryou was more vain and narcissistic than he thought, which seemed impossible—_'Though with how he acted when he spilled tea on his clothes, it's more likely than you'd think...'_— the spirit told him that at this time, it would do no good to worry about it.

He allowed his eyes to drift away from the village's scenery—quaint, yet vaguely industrial— which was bathed in an early-morning dusky glow, to the less-than-majestic vista of his living quarters. It had been several days since Naruto had cleaned the apartment: clothes lay strewn along the floor, his bed was in a terrible state of disarray, and his kitchenette's sink overflowed with unwashed cutlery and dinnerware. A few patches of cheap wallpaper were peeling off.

In the corner by the window lay Enrai, propped up against the wall. It seemed so forlorn, as if it was devastated to be without purpose or use to anyone.

_'Maybe all weapons feel that way.'_ Tools made for war were not suited for anything but. To be so far from the battlefield must be the cruelest of tortures.

The sword, a katana of no remarkably different dimension than the standard, was sheathed in onyx saya*, polished to a gleam once upon a time. Now, the sheath was afflicted with scores of scratches, scuffs, and spots of grime. The guard was a dark metal, based off a common oval shape, sculpted metal gusts of wind carved as the arms of a six-armed arm spiral that tapered to the inside of the outer ring, excess metal between each arm having been cut away. The guard showed slight signs of what Naruto would describe as melting; Muraki had grinned when he said that after first examining the sword back in the catacombs. _"Ohohoho! No, no, not so! That is merely... How should I say this? Enrai is..._reshaping_ his container to suit himself to you. He must change from old form to new! How else do you expect to work together?" _The handle was wrapped tightly, but several of the cloth bands were fraying, and the endcap was loose enough to wiggle if shook.

The edge was razor-sharp, so much so that Naruto had suspected it was monatomic, and colored a dark, dazzling silvery haze; as close to obsidian as silver could be. The hamon*; the thin temper line where the metal shifted from the shock-absorbing soft metal of the spine, to the harder metal better suited to keep a keen edge; gleamed a slightly darker color than the rest of the sword, beams of an alluring silver shot through the pattern and tiny motes of molten white burned and sparkled brightly.

The blade itself was a work of art, undoubtedly, but it had been lacking in its care. What was perhaps a once-brilliant luster was dull and listless. The length of the weapon was scarred and disfigured with several pockmarks and nicks. It was beautiful, but it could use a great deal of polishing.

It had been the morning two days earlier that he had been told the specifics of his new companion.

* * *

_Two days ago, Heionkaze, Kaminari no Kuni__-__Temple Catacombs, Muraki's home_

_5:22 a.m._

Muraki lowered himself down into the stone bench carved from his wall, sitting across from Shiryou who was attempting to scrub out tea from his stained shirt. Naruto stepped around the frantic spirit and sat at the opposite end of the bench, resting one arm on the table.

The elderly swordsmith raised his pipe and re-lit the tobacco. "Well, Shiryou-kouzo, he's found a good reaction."

"Fucking... Dammit! These shirts cost a fortune! I can't _materialize_ this shit! It's fucking imported silk! Eight-thousand thread count!"

"... Judging from the energy given off, I think I know which spirit it is," the old man continued, eyeing the spirit's frenzied behavior in amusement.

"Do you have any idea how long it takes to custom tailor one of these?" Shiryou cried in dismay. "You can't just throw this in a washer! Where's the fucking club soda!"

"I believe it to be Enrai." _'Still so juvenile, eh? Sanosuke-kouzo?'_

Shiryou halted his flurried movement. "Did you say Enrai? Interesting..." the spirit muttered softly, rubbing the crown of his head, locks of silver hair flowing through his fingers like liquid. He conversed with himself for several moments before looking over at Naruto, then to the weapon he held in the crook of his left arm.

_'Why does he have to be so erratic?'_ Naruto pondered in silent disdain.

"I have to say... This was unexpected."

"Do you think it should have been another?"

"No, not especially. It was unexpected, but not unwelcomed. I think they'll work well together. Kyuubi won't be thrilled, however."

"Perhaps, but he is old enough to realize that squabbles have an appropriate time and place."

"I doubt even the threat of the _dreaded_ Taigen no Yin would quell those hotheaded dimwits."

"Ha ha, you have a point there, Shiryou-kouzo."

Naruto glanced from Muraki to Shiryou and back again. They continued to talk about Enrai and himself as if they weren't even there.

He gazed at the katana beside him.

A lazy spark flickered around the sheath, illuminating the dark wood before fizzling out near the guard.

"Why not?" His eyes scanned the sheathed sword meticulously. "Why will Kyuubi be upset?"

"Hmm?" Shiryou murmured. "Oh, they _despise_ each other."

Muraki bobbed his head, a halo of smoke over his head. "Oh yes. They have never quite seen eye-to-eye."

"I don't even remember what started their little feud."

Muraki scrunched his withered face in concentration. "I think it was an argument about whether or not trees were 'alive'... Something trivial, whatever the case."

Shiryou nodded casually. It wasn't inconceivable, Enrai being who he was. "It's often like that with spirits and youkai; spirits are more existential while demons are more practical, so they tend to butt heads."

_'Existential?' _

"But I digress," Shiryou interjected. "Enrai, your sword, is a thunder spirit."

"So he controls, like, storms and lightning?" Naruto posed.

"Not exactly," the old swordsmith answered slowly. "Enrai's father was the Ryuu-Ou-Raiu, the Ouiki who held—"

_'Ouiki... Spirit King?'_

"—sway over storms. Wind, rain, lightning; all were guided by his hand and judgment," he puffed on his kiseru, the long, thin pipe held delicately between his fingers.

"He had three children, one boy and two girls," Shiryou added. "Enrai was the oldest, and so was destined to inherit his fathers' throne and title, but he was too hotheaded. In the end, the Ouiki divided his powers between his offspring until he thought an heir of acceptable merit and responsibility could be decided. They can each use all three elements to a certain extent, but they have prowess with only one."

Muraki nodded. "Enrai received dominance over thunder and lightning, while his sisters received control over wind and water respectively."

"Still, if Enrai had proved himself, he could still have inherited all of Ryuu-Ou-Raiu's strength." Shiryou laced his fingers brought them behind his head, stretching his long, lithe legs. "Unfortunately, he went through a bit of a rebellious phase, and left his home, family, and future behind." He paused for a moment. "Supposedly..."

"What does that mean, _supposedly?_"

Muraki looked off to the side. "Well... Some speculate...that it might have been due to certain..._advances_... From his younger sisters..."

"Advances... Wait, you mean..." Naruto shut his mouth tightly as the tips of his ears burned red.

"Apparently they had a brother complex," the Jikogiseishi shrugged with a thinly-veiled air of embarrassment.

_'Brother complex? I had no idea spirits' were so screwed up...'_

"Strong one."

"I hear that they nearly tear to shreds any woman they believe has less-than-reputable intentions for him."

"Men too."

"Oh yeah. He _did_ have some male suitors, as I recall. Not that he was especially interested in men."

"I doubt it."

"Other than that..." Shiryou cleared his throat, guiding the conversation away from the inappropriate turn it had taken. "He likes to gamble, drink, and fight. He's incredibly stubborn, but fiercely loyal. You have to earn his respect before he'll even speak to you though. Enrai is childish, but don't think he's stupid. His intelligence shines through brilliantly, at times."

"The sword itself, though, should be looked after too. The excess energy generated by Enrai-kouzo will affect something tangible, such as a sword, if he is contained within it long enough," Muraki explained. "The changes will happen over time, but don't be surprised if the appearance of the sword alters. It might become longer, or wider, or might shine more brilliantly, or lose its' guard, or reverse the edge, or any number of other transformations. Now that he is waking up, you'll slowly notice these changes."

"He is still in the form suited to the one who wielded him last," Shiryou added. "Who died quite a long time ago. Mura-jii hasn't gotten around to repairing the blade, but I wouldn't worry about it. It should repair itself more quickly the longer it is around you."

"Also," Muraki spoke in a solemn timbre, smoke filtering out between his teeth ominously. "Enrai is an incredible lout. He will not wake up until he wishes, no matter how much you struggle... And if you anger him too greatly," Muraki looked over to Naruto, his pupils piercing out through half-lidded eyes.

"He _will_ kill you."

* * *

When they returned from Heionkaze it was very early in the morning, yet despite his exhaustion, Naruto left for the hidden training ground where he vowed not to leave until he could defend himself against Shiryou for more than a minute.

Even with skipping his classes and staying out late into the night, he could barely last more than twenty seconds, and that was with Shiryou holding back substantially. Enrai was too heavy, too long for his small frame, every stroke required both arms and left his upper body aching. After all, it was well over a meter in length.

And so, here he was.

He was back to the same spot as before. He was still _weak_. Muraki's last words rang through his head, each syllable an aching note that throbbed stronger with each passing second; a nagging reminder of his shortcomings.

He knew he overslept, but Naruto realized deep down that it as for the best. For the past three months, he had endured bone-crushing, spine-shattering training nearly every day, with no reprieve for his immature seven-year-old body. He could have used a full weeks' rest, but his clock read 7:00, and Umino Iruka, his sensei at the Academy, would frown upon him missing the day report cards were distributed.

Naruto gathered fresh clothing, an ashen-gray sweater that hugged his body tightly and loose navy blue pants. He slipped on the clothes and lifted the right leg of his pants to tie on his ankle sheath which held a slim tactical throwing knife, balanced with a slightly serrated edge to make it dig in to whatever it hit. It had been a parting gift from Muraki accompanied by the sagely advice: 'A capable hawk hides its' talons.'

Shiryou explained he meant that it wasn't always wise for a "tiger to bare its' fangs", which confused him further.

He brushed the leg back down and slung his bag over a shoulder before leaving the small apartment.

* * *

"Taijutsu: eighteenth in class, thirty-second in the Academy."

"First in both."

"Tch, showoff. Twenty-ninth and seventy-first."

"Shikamaru, I wish you'd take classes more seriously. Twentieth and Fifty-fourth."

Kiba snickered and went to read the next set of scores.

"Ninjutsu: Sixteenth and forty-fourth."

"Wow Kiba-kun, your scores are a lot better than I'd thought they'd be," Choji observed in surprise. "I don't think I've ever seen you study."

"My mom threatened me to get my grades up."

"What was the punishment?"

"Cleaning the dog cages and helping Hana-nee at the clinic for a month."

"Ouch," he winced. "No wonder, then."

Sasuke brushed the hair from his eyes. _'I need to trim my bangs,'_ he thought to himself. He had a bad habit of neglecting to manage his hair properly.

As he'd expected, he achieved first in every subject in both class and Academy rankings. At first, Sasuke had been overjoyed, but he felt... odd. Like it didn't really matter.

Like the number was pointless.

He flicked his eyes over at Naruto, whose eyes continued to open and close slowly, his head nodding slightly as he wavered between consciousness and sleep. He had yet to read his scores, though everyone knew they'd be the worst out of their group.

He recalled that Naruto claimed he'd undergone some sort of training, but if that was so, why didn't his grades reflect it? Sasuke sensed Naruto had changed somewhat since they first met, not in personality so much as the _feeling_, the _energy_ he gave off. It was hard to describe. Warmer, more comforting. Protective.

Yet at the same time it seemed coiled like a snake, ready to lash out at a moments' notice. It was mysterious...and a little frightening.

Sasuke wanted to see firsthand what Naruto was actually capable of, no-holds-barred. He had known Naruto for the past several months, but knew almost nothing about his abilities. Sasuke could tell that Naruto was awkward around other people and incredibly secretive. What little he did know was rumors he'd heard from other students or residents of Konoha, and what Naruto had let slip himself.

Sasuke knew Naruto had no parents or other living relatives, that he lived alone in a small apartment, and that he trained alone after class, but still had terrible scores in class. He knew that Naruto was somewhat financially challenged and a bit malnourished, but that was where Sasuke's knowledge of Naruto ended.

"Hey..." he called over to Naruto. "Wake up Uzumaki."

The blonds' head jerked upward. _'Damn, nodded off again.' _He blinked rapidly and rubbed the sleep from his eyes. "Huh? Whuzzit?"

"Let's go have a fight."

"Huh?" Shikamaru started. "What, now? We just got out of class."

"Sounds fun!" Kiba cheered, pumping a fist energetically. "Who against who? I'm ready to go!"

"Me against Uzumaki."

Naruto stretched his arms and popped his joints. "Why you wanna fight, Sasuke-kun?" he asked, lethargy slurring his words. He could use another nap.

"You said you were training right? You didn't show us then, so I want to see what you can do now."

Choji, the resident peacemaker and all-around sense of reason decided to speak up.

"Well," he began. "As long as you guys don't take it too far, it might be fun for us to spar against each other. Sasuke-san and Naruto-kun, Shikamaru and Kiba-kun. I'll referee!" He selected the referee as himself both to stop a fight if it got too far, and to eat his favorite barbeque-style chips instead of amassing bruises.

"But don't you guys have to get home?" Naruto cut in with a prolonged yawn, authentic yet emphasized. "It's getting late. We have two weeks off now that the terms' over, let's do it later."

Sasuke grit his teeth. Naruto was right. It was getting dark and he needed to be heading home. He couldn't wait to show his grades to his father and brother, to hear their praise. Sasuke would never admit this desire, though. It was childish and unattractive for an Uchiha.

All the same, a battle with Naruto could wait.

One by one, the adolescents left the roof of the Academy, until only Naruto remained. The adolescent blond gazed up at the cloudless sky, ruffling the hair around the crown of his head as a dull ache began to throb.

Naruto had noticed lately that he had been afflicted by a series of painful headaches and migraines. Shiryou had assured him it wasn't an issue, and that medication and meditation should help. Eyes closed to take full pleasure in the serenity, he once again let his mind go blank as he focused on the absence of thought.

After another hour of staunch meditation, Naruto left for his apartment to gather Enrai, and a pair of apples, before leaving for the forest clearing.

* * *

_Kage no Sakai__ - __appx. 300km North-northeast of Honkyou_

Though Jintoku had been sent to deal with the powerful demon clans that resided near Akuryou's borders many times, as he was perhaps the most cultured of the Taigen no Yin's servants, it still made the trip no less unbearable. Few demons had the mental fortitude to carry on a civilized conversation with him, which made proper communication incredibly difficult and exasperating.

Of course, on this particular occasion, he was accompanied by Akamizu.

Every demon within Kage no Sakai had heard of the hanyou, the half-demon bastard warrior with flaming red hair. His mother a kappa, a water demon that absorbed the essence of life through blood or flesh, and his father a wandering human warrior. Shunned by both youkai and humankind alike.

Naturally, Akamizu was feared. A marauding executioner with a face set like stone, who had been christened in the blood of countless foes, and educated relentlessly in the arts of killing. No remorse, no mercy, no guilt over murdering anyone who stood against him.

He made for an excellent deterrent of the more irritating demons that would hassle Jintoku.

As said diplomat to youkai continued his uneventful trek, Akamizu six paces behind him draped in a light tan cloak, Jintoku examined the landscape. Barren, mountainous wastelands in every direction, the ground dry and cracked, massive cliffs and gorges marred the land while small groupings of lesser demons scuttled or flew around, searching for food or shelter. Immense rock formations hovered far above their heads, kept afloat by the ambient energy of the demonic plane reacting with minerals deep inside the stone.

Normally, they would've transported by way of teleportation techniques, but the landscape was ever-changing in Kage no Sakai, what one day would be stable ground might be a depthless abyss the next. As Jintoku muttered a few words of acquiescent grievance while hauling himself up over a particularly high ridge on the base of the mountain they were skirting, Akamizu gazed at a passing flock of low-class tengu flying above the perilous drop where mountain ended and chasm began.

One of the duo's comrades was actually a tengu, though far more powerful than the weaklings before them. Maybe they were related. It was possible, many youkai had relations, however thin, to many other families of demons. Distant cousins, perhaps.

They were far north, in the badlands of Kage no Sakai, where the head of the Hebi dwelled. Few species of demons lived there, so it suited the snakes' taste. Youkai with a need for water were situated to the far east in the great oceans and lakes, while those with a necessity for fire were to the south, at the volcanic mountains and sulfur fields near the edge of the badlands.

Other than that, Akamizu had no idea where other demons lived. He always stayed in the castle, unless he went somewhere with Jintoku.

One time, he went with Jintoku and Kaizoudo to the Chuushin Daichi. Akamizu remembered it had something to do with a raccoon. Or was it a squirrel? No, it was too big to be a squirrel. He ate a lot of different noodles when he was there, too. Yakisoba and ramen were his favorites.

"Aka-chan!" Jintoku's lilting tone drifted down. "Hurry! I don't want to sleep out in the open."

Jintoku always used -chan when he was alone with someone, Akamizu knew. Otherwise he'd use -san. Except with Akuryou, who got -sama. He didn't know for sure, as he'd never been with Jintoku when he was alone with Akuryou, but he didn't think he used -chan for him in private.

The half-kappa warrior scaled the ridge with naught but his hands in less than half the time it took Jintoku. Jintoku wasn't very athletic. He was smart, though. Akamizu supposed that was something.

Beyond the scant twenty meter ledge upon which they stood lay a valley flanked by more crags on the left and the chasm to their right.

Akamizu's steely eyes scanned the pitted vale, dissecting each rock and clump of weeds. A low-lying haze hid the exit of the corridor, where the chasms' edge was deflected by another jagged mountain and the crags swung to the west, from view.

"What lies before us, Aka-chan?" Jintoku grasped Akamizu's shoulder lightly.

"...Enra-Enra."

"Enenra, huh?"

"Yeah... Lots of Enra-Enra..." the red-haired half-kappa swept an arm across the valley. "All over."

Enra-Enra, or Enenra, were smoke demons. Only visible to the pure-of-heart, this species of Youkai was popular as an invisible security system. Their true appearance is that of a wispy cloud of smoke, billowing and swaying like a fine fabric, with an genderless face and largely peaceful demeanor. They could absorb polluted air or mask the area around them with a fog-like miasma of smoke. Jintoku had spent many a long night analyzing why such an abstract concept as the purity of one's heart, or more scientifically, their actions, would cause the Enra-Enra to be invisible to them.

This was yet another reason why Akamizu was so handy to have along.

For some reason, he hadn't a single impure thought in his entire body. Which was probably related to the fact that he was so simple-minded.

Some people called him ditzy, or airheaded. Akamizu didn't like mean people like them. But he did like Binure-kaa-san. She was pretty, and nice, and very old. Being old meant she was smart in Akamizu's mind.

Binure was the moniker of the seldom-seen matriarch of the clan of snake demons. Few knew her real name, the ones who did knew better than to tell, and the ones that didn't knew better than to ask. She held absolute authority, but rarely even appeared before her own kind. Most decisions were handled by her immediate underlings, because, rumor had it, she had fallen ill and was not long for this world.

_'Maybe she has a cold.'_

He really hoped not. Colds were terrible. You couldn't eat anything but hot soup or medicine, and your nose gets runny and you get really bad headaches.

Jintoku lightly slapped the back of the half-kappa's head, eliciting a series of blinks.

"Stop spacing out Aka-chan!" He scolded with an amiable grin. Jintoku tucked loose folds of his long white garb between his arms to reduce fluttering in the wind.

"I'd've liked to have gotten closer to Binure-sama before being noticed," the mixed tones of lament and jovial acquiescence escaped his lips. "But if there are really that many Enenra, there's no chance of it."

He'd never been this close to Enenra before. Unless ordered to do otherwise by their masters, the smoke youkai tended to drift aimlessly throughout the badlands, their preferred habitat. Jintoku was always looking forward to new experiences and chance happenings.

He drew from within the confines of his monk's garb a gilded, yet worn monocle and affixed it to his spectacles. The lens was a dark violet, and everything viewed through it was consequently cast in varying shades of blue. For a few seconds, Jintoku's vision blurred, then refocused as the monocle adjusted. True as Akamizu had said, the valley was littered with the whimsical smoke youkai.

He reached back into his robes for a notepad and began his observations.

* * *

Sasuke sighed dejectedly. His term report laid within reach, a reminder of his father's less than thrilled reaction to his accomplishments.

_"Do a fine job in this way just like your big brother."_

Compared to his brother yet again in something he wished to stand apart. It was almost as if it had been expected of him from his father to receive the top marks.

_'He probably did. Itachi-nii-san passed with the highest grades at the Academy for at least a decade, so he would expect me too as well. Any possible achievement in the Academy has already been claimed by Nii-san. I wanted Tou-san... to at least smile...'_

The fledgling Uchiha dragged his bare feet through the grass of the rock garden adjacent to the covered walkway bordering the house on which he now sat.

"Why do you look so down, little brother?"

Sasuke whipped his head around to face Itachi, who was displaying a kind, warm smile just behind his left shoulder.

"I-Itachi-nii-san..." Sasuke fumbled his words. "I didn't know you were home."

"I just got back," the elder Uchiha's eyes drifted to the folded slip of paper near Sasuke's right hand. He pinched it between two fingers and held it up before his eyes. "And what might _this_ be?"

Sasuke burned red with embarrassment and reached frantically for the report. "Wait, Nii-san, don't!"

"Ah ah ah!" Itachi held the paper aloft and placed his free hand atop his brother's head. "Lets' see... First in class... No, first in the _Academy_... In every subject?" Itachi looked back down at his brother proudly. "I'm very impressed little brother," he said warmly, wrapping an arm around Sasuke, ruffling his hair lightly.

Sasuke burned an even darker red. "T-thank you Nii-san..."

"Now, why would someone who received such high marks look so sad?"

The younger Uchiha's face fell slightly, an action not missed by Itachi.

"I see, Tou-san," he continued. "You have to understand, Sasuke, Tou-san is very... important, both to our clan and the village. He's our patriarch and head of the Military Police, the XXXXX. He has many things occupying his mind."

"Sometimes.. I think he only loves you..."

"I see... You hate me, don't you?"

"No! I couldn't!" _'But I wonder... Maybe, sometimes...'_

"Excellence..." Itachi started slowly, a somewhat pained smile on his lips. "Is not as glamorous as it appears. Power can drive you to arrogance, and alienates you from others. It can make you insane... No matter how many people may admire or love you for it, many, many others will hate you." The young ANBU's voice fell to a somber, light whisper.

"That's not how I feel..." Sasuke replied weakly, as if he didn't believe Itachi would bother to listen.

Itachi paused before giving another warm smile. "But with us... it's very different. We are brothers, and as such, no title or action could ever change how we appear to each other; not if I became Hokage, or you a missing-nin. I'll always be there for you, if only a distant memory of something you wish to overcome. Even if you hate me. That's what brother's are for."

Sasuke leaned into his brothers' embrace. "I know... it's just—"

He was interrupted by a sharp, echoing knock at the front door. After a moment, a voice sounded.

"Is Uchiha Itachi home? We have some questions for you. Get out here!"

The brothers Uchiha rose up and padded their way, quickly but softly, to the main entrance into the Uchiha compound, Itachi's expression hardened with each step as his younger brother followed behind.

The pair stepped out into the light to face three men from the Military Police, one middle-aged with spiked greying hair and two younger men, not much older than Itachi, one with black hair and the other brown. The elder strode out to meet them while Sasuke clung to the doorframe.

"What is the meaning of this?" Itachi asked with equal amounts of deference and irritation.

One of the younger men, the brown-haired one, stepped up. "Where were you three nights ago? You were absent at the assembly."

Itachi stood silent.

The other young man leaned in. "Do you want to tell us where you were? We fully understand that you are in the ANBU, and can get called out or roped into anything at a moment's notice, which is the case your father argued when we talked to him."

The grey-haired man nodded. "But _we _are not your father. You won't be getting any special treatment from us."

"I understand," Itachi lowered his head slightly and closed his eyes. "I shall be more careful next time."

"Yes, see that you are."

"And if that is all, I must ask you to leave now."

The middle-aged shinobi nodded. "Sure thing... Just one more question. You were one of two members absent at the meeting three nights ago. The other was Shisui."

"And?"

"He was just dragged up from the Nakano River, dead. Autopsy projects the death around the time the meeting was taking place," the brown-haired shinobi answered.

The grey-haired man pulled the younger man back. "Do you know anything about Uchiha Shisui ending his life in the Nakano River?"

"We heard you looked up to him like an older brother," the younger ninja added.

"How terrible... But no, I haven't seen him for some time. What a tragedy..." he lowered his voice to a whisper.

"Of course... At this time, the Military Police is launching a full investigation."

"An investigation?"

The grey-haired shinobi nodded. "We discovered the will Shisui wrote prior to his death. It was analyzed, and the handwriting is definitely his."

"Then why an investigation?"

"It would not be difficult for someone with the Sharingan to accomplish a forgery like this," the brown-haired ninja replied. "And someone like Shisui..."

The older man picked up, "Feared as Shunshin no Shusui, the best of the Uchiha, willing to take any mission, do anything if it would help the clan..."

"Hard to believe he would simply kill himself, right?" the black-haired shinobi finished.

"Yes, well, you can never truly know someone..." Itachi answered softly.

The grey-haired man drew a small piece of paper from his waist-sash and held it out. "This is the original note he left, we want you to take it to ANBU and request them to start an investigation as well."

"Understood."

The trio turned to leave, but before moving a half dozen steps, the brown-haired shinobi spoke again. "One more thing, don't forget; we have our own connections to ANBU, we'll know if you try to sweep this under the table. Remember that."

Itachi narrowed his eyes and clenched his fists, crushing Shisui's note.

"Just say it."

The group turned to meet Itachi's activated Sharingan.

"You think I had something to do with this. You suspect I am involved."

The black-haired shinobi glanced back at the Uchiha, his eyes flashed crimson as well. "As a matter of fact, _yes_, you little punk."

His older companion glared with steely eyes. "If we found out you've betrayed our clan I want you to know, you won't escape unscathed!"

At that moment, Itachi vanished.

He laid the oldest flat with a strike to the jaw, pivoting on one foot to slam his elbow into the stomach of the black-haired one, then extending his leg to trip the brown-haired shinobi only to slam him into the ground by the neck.

"I told you before..." he said slowly from the center of the downed shinobi. "You can _never_ truly _know_ someone. You believed me to be _patient_, and you were _quite_ mistaken. The clan, the _clan_... You overestimate your abilities without realizing the depth of mine. Look at you now, _groveling_ in the _dirt_."

"W-where were you?" the brown-haired ninja coughed out.

"Why would that matter? There are hundreds of other Shinobi that were not at the meeting, such as everyone _not_ in the Uchiha clan," Itachi rebuked, wide-open Sharingan an inch away from the shinobi's face.

The grey-haired man grit his teeth. "No one could go up against Shunshin no Shusui and come out alive unless they _also _had the Sharingan!" he said brusquely. Rising slowly to one knee, he continued. "Shisui was monitoring you recently... Six months into ANBU, the way you've been acting hadn't gone unnoticed. What are you playing at, you wretch?"

Itachi bore into him with his crimson eyes. "Obsessed with the organization, the clan, the name, the lineage... The worthless compulsion that enslaves us, that's what truly is wretched! It limits our abilities and fosters _hate_ and_ fear_ like you couldn't possibly understand!"

"Stop this Itachi!" a powerful voice roared from behind him. His father, Uchiha Fugaku stood in uniform not four meters away. "What the hell is the matter with you! You've been strange lately, son, but this is beyond overlooking!"

Itachi, so often silent with a calm and amiable demeanor, glared back at his father, chest heaving as the rage he had held back snapped it's chain. The Uchiha drew a few long breaths, composing himself.

"Nothing is wrong, I am perfectly fine," Itachi replied evenly, a distant look in his eye. "I have only have my role to play... That's all..."

"So what's the real reason, then?" his father inquired. "Why didn't you show up to the assembly?"

"To... achieve a higher state... of existence..." Itachi whispered so quietly he was almost silent. How could he have lost it like that? So close to his mission and he snapped at a couple of idiots with a bone to pick? It would only make it that much harder to reassume his facade and complete the ordeal ahead.

"What are you talking about?" Fugaku asked, genuine concern softening his voice.

Itachi brought his closed fist up to his shoulder and flicked out his first two fingers, a kunai held firmly between them. His fathers' eyes widened as he pierced one of the clan crests painted on the wall opposite their home, cracking the aged wood as it embedded itself deep within the mark.

"I've had enough..."

Fugaku leveled his eyes at Itachi.

"There's nothing left for this pitiful clan. The Uchiha are all the same... They all focus on the trivial and lose sight of the truth. Change cannot occur in such ignorance, steeped in the restriction of regulations and constrained imagination. How can we evolve as we are?"

"Such arrogance!" Fugaku spat through clenched teeth as he helped the grey-haired shinobi to his feet.

Leaning on the Uchiha patriarch, the shinobi glared sourly at Itachi. "Stop right there. Any more out of you, any more of this _nonsense_ you keep spouting, and so help me I'll have you thrown behind bars!"

"Well? What's it gonna be?" the black-haired ninja growled.

"Taichou, I can't take this. Order us to take him in!" the brown-haired shinobi muttered soon after.

"B...Brother! You have to stop! BROTHER!"

Itachi's eyes widened as his little brother's voice pierced through his hazed mind. He let his eyes close as he looked toward the ground. Itachi first dropped to his knees, then bowed before the four men facing him.

"I... I am not the one who killed Shisui... But I apologize for my numerous slips of the tongue. I'm truly sorry..."

Fugaku stared hard at his son, prostrated before him, before closing his eyes in concentration.

"He's... been up to his hitai-ate in ANBU missions... He's been extremely exhausted..."

"But Taichou!" the eldest shinobi protested.

"ANBU are under direct order of the Hokage," he added sternly. "Even the Military Police would need a warrant to arrest him, if we wanted to. As for Itachi..." Fugaku's eyes drifted to his son, still bowing with hands pressed to the ground. "I'll take full responsibility. You have my word."

The grey-haired ninja turned to look at Itachi as well. "Yes sir. Understood... Taichou."

The three ninja turned to leave as Fugaku walked toward Sasuke and through the open front door of their compound. Itachi relaxed his shoulders and gazed at his retreating father with his still-activated crimson Sharingan.

Just for a moment, the iris seemed to shift ever-so-slightly, though it might just have been the sunlight shining in Sasuke's eyes.

* * *

Naruto swung the scarred weapon experimentally, switching from one hand to the other, then both, and back again. It was difficult to get the momentum of a stroke up to a decent level, and even more so to stop it for the next strike.

"Much different than the bokuto, huh?"

Naruto gazed back at Shiryou, leaning against a tree at the edge of the clearing.

"Mwrf...mnh," he replied through the apple clenched in his jaws. Naruto crunched through the solid fruit, biting off a sizable chunk as the rest of the apple fell into his open hand.

"Don't talk with food in your mouth."

"Yeah," he answered clearly, juice from the apple chunk dripping down his chin. "Didn't have a mom to tell me that."

"You should still know better."

"Technically, it wasn't in my mouth. I was only biting it."

"Don't split hairs."

Naruto wiped the juice away with his sleeve. "But you're right. It's a lot heavier than the wood." He held it out at chest level. "It's long too. Almost as tall as me."

"You'll get taller, don't worry. You'll grow into it."

"Maybe."

"Would you like to start now?"

Naruto gaze the blade a final once-over. "...Yeah."

* * *

**"So what has elicited your ire this time, my capricious Jikogiseishi? You seem uncharacteristically irritable."**

The silver-haired deity shot him a cold stare that was both stunningly attractive and extremely unnerving.

After a brisk two hours of assorted training regimens with Naruto, they had returned to the apartment for the night, and the pair had once again retired to the small chamber within Naruto's subconscious.

Kyuubi lay prone on a waist-high shelf, eyeing the spirit sitting at the worn worktable mischievously.

"Oh, look who's using eight-syllable words. I suppose it was about time for the drooling beast to gain a modicum of intellect?"

**"Don't displace your anger onto me. I'm not the one who is bothering you."**

"..." The handsome spirit allowed his curtain of antagonism to fade, as his features grew steadily more somber and stolid. "I have a suspicion. Akuryou might be mobilizing faster than I thought."

**"So? Is it unnatural for those who are evil to commit evil? The bastard might simply be readying himself. He cannot read your mind, he has no idea what he is up against." **The Kyuubi gazed up at his companion. This atmosphere of concern did not suit the man he knew, it was very unsettling.

**"Akuryou is blind, and deaf; he is merely taking precaution. It might not even be related to Naruto, maybe he is simply bored."**

The youkai lord's words did little to diminish his distress.

"About that, I am not sure. You cannot accuse him of being foolish; immature, perhaps, but never foolish. Perhaps he can read my mind, perhaps not. I simply..."

Shiryou forgot his words. He detested this feeling. It was like he was an adolescent again, taking his lead from his _own_ Nakitama Fukei. Something which always left him feeling cold and uncertain. Akuryou had always known which buttons to push, which words to speak.

"He knows me... I mean, _really_ knows me... It's disturbing how much so. I feel as if I'm a young child playing into his hands, as if everything I plan, he himself has allowed me to."

He sighed deeply. The years weighed him down, so very, very heavily.

"Whatever the case, we need to act as if he is studying our every move. His Juuni are not to be taken any more lightly than Akuryou himself."

**"The Juunishito*? He's **_**awakened**_** those monsters?"** Now _that_ worried the kitsune. **"He is **_**nowhere**_** near ready for them. You know this, do you not?"**

"Of course. How could I expect him to face down those devils? I need to start taking precautionary measures."

**"Precautionary measures are a commendable thought, but you'll need more than that."**

Shiryou pounded his fist into the desk. "Then I'll go straight to the Kage no Sakai and deal with them myself!"

The Kyuubi growled deeply. **"Then you plot your own demise. You know that if you try to force your way into one of the other worlds without the approval of the Boatman, your soul will be ripped from your body and sealed in Yomi no Sakai* forever. We don't even know how Akuryou got permission to send his men into Chuushin Daichi."**

"You speak like I do not realize these things! I know full well the consequences, and I would not have spoken if I wasn't absolutely ready to accept them!"

**"You'd throw away your life so easily? You think your existence is so insignificant? This is not how you should handle the situation, this is **_**not**_** the correct decision."**

"Perhaps so, but—"

**"But nothing!" **he barked. Though in his miniature form, it was more of a yelp. **"Even if the Boatman **_**allowed**_** you to go, the **_**second**_** you stepped back into the Sanzu no Kiwa, the Shinigami would harvest your soul. The Boatman is harsh, but he is **_**far**_** more lenient than the Shinigami, and the Shinigami's word is **_**law**_**!"**

The Jikogiseishi braced his head with both arms upon the desk. "Then do you have any ideas? Any clever stratagems?" he asked cynically. A pained sigh pushed its' way regretfully past his lips.

"I see such potential, such... _fire_ in him, but it would take too much time for me to shape it... If only I had a few more years with him. Months, even! Now that he's awakened the Juunishito, he obviously means to locate Naruto as quickly as possible, and if he is determined enough, Akuryou could find him in a heartbeat..." Shiryou finished weakly. He felt the years of his life pile upon him so much heavier than in his youth.

"I need more time..."

The demon fox averted his eyes. Though he hesitated to admit it, he was fond of Shiryou. He didn't really want to ponder his downfall, but if it needed to be considered, the Kyuubi would simply have to deal with his reservations.

**"But you don't. I understand your frustration, truly. If... If you must do this, then do it without faltering. But before that, consider what must be done for Naruto once you leave."**

Shiryou nodded slowly, he was lucky that Kyuubi was there, an intellect to rival his, in some areas, anyway, but also the logic and conscience to keep himself, and Naruto, from making rash decisions.

"You're right... But still, this time... This prophecy is different. _Naruto_ is different. The whole situation is. At first it was the same as always, we try to find the child, select a Nakitama Fukei, train them, teach them, guide them, and see them through on their journey, and Akuryou would try to both thwart us and accomplish whatever twisted scheme he had cooked up."

**"What do you mean? Isn't that what is going on now?"**

His long, silver, silk hair swayed. "No, not exactly. It's similar, but I think that's what Akuryou wants me to think. I think he's trying to throw us off by making it seem like the norm, like he's just going through the motions."

**"That's the part I don't get the most,"** the red-hued fox scoffed.

"What do you mean?"

**"Well, you said Akuryou was a creature of comfort, fueled by his interest right?"**

Shiryou nodded again, "Of course, it's in his nature. He hates to be bored, it infuriates him. It's one of the reasons he switched sides. Before, he simply toyed around with a few people as he pleased, but after he rebelled, he took his game to a whole new level, on the world stage."

**"Exactly! So why would he bother just to go through his normal checklist? Search for a spiritual signal, raise a fighting force, evade and terminate; he's done it before, why not something new?"**

Understanding flashed in his eyes. "Because it _is_ something new... More than anything, he wants the game to keep going. More fighting, more death. But he must have a goal. He's not so callous to kill for the sake of killing. He wants something..."

**"Now we just have to figure out what."**

The pair continued to converse, attempting to unravel the truth of Akuryou's scheming until they could no longer bear the exhaustion and parted ways for much-needed sleep.

_

* * *

_

Postal Town 38- Hokkaishi, Nogusa no Kuni

Snow blanketed the streets of the near-lifeless town. Hokkaishi had been a bustling, thriving village before the Third Great War. After the war was began, most residents moved back to safer towns, and when it ended, they simply decided to stay.

For years, it had lay practically forgotten, until the messenger-nins scouted it as an outpost and staging point for their deliveries. Only three men were based out of the outpost, the dispatcher and two runners.

All that said, it was still a backwater, unsupervised, ramshackle little town; which made it the perfect hideout for criminals and lowlifes to hide out from prying eyes.

The shoddily dressed man stared out at the sprawling village before him; drunkards stumbled through the snow-covered streets flanked by derelict buildings, some engaging in short but brutal fistfights, others singing incoherently, still more staggering into alleys to heave the contents of their stomachs upon the ground.

An overwhelming stench hung over the town, permeating it to the core; the man likened it to a mix of sour milk and exceptionally strong garlic.

He passed through the edges of the city, Ototore Street specifically, glancing up at the addresses painted haphazardly on outside walls and doors. If anyone had bothered to ask, the middle-aged doctor would say he didn't want to be anywhere near the man who requested his presence, but as the doctor valued his life, he agreed to come to analyze the condition of ex-Akatsuki and VVVV-nin of Konohagakure, Orochimaru the Snake Sage.

The physician drew a small slip of paper from within his pocket. He had received it one week beforehand, resting on his bedsheets. The simple type and succinct phrasing was that of Kabuto, whom he'd received letters from often before. He was, however, quite young- _'Ten, was it?_' -which only made the doctor more wary. Orochimaru didn't pick out his men blindly. There was always a reason. The same could be said about the doctor himself.

_One week, Ototore Street, 472, Hokkaishi. Do not be absent. Payment is _

_substantial. Orochimaru._

Even in this freezing weather, he felt his brow bead with sweat. If it were any semblance of a friendly visit, Orochimaru would have come himself. A summons would mean one of two things; either he was indisposed and dealing with a separate matter, or he was physically _unable_ to be there.

Seeing as he was a doctor, Shinou guessed the latter. As his thick-soled boots crunched through dirty, hard-packed snow, Shinou's mind ran wild with assumptions about what he was summoned for. Kabuto, he knew, had extensive medical training, even at his age he could probably perform most major surgeries unaided. All his postulating led him inexorably to one rationale.

His body was breaking down.

Shinou's eyes flicked up at each passing sign. 391, 393, 407. Some buildings lacked signs, and even the ones that had them were mostly handmade replacements.

The techniques for extended life worked different ways on different people. Some needed constant ingestion of flesh or blood. Others required infusions of vast amounts of energy, so huge that many could not gather it and starved. The luckiest merely had to change bodies after they decayed.

Or perhaps they were the most cursed of all.

421, 424, 428.

Shinou wrung his hands. He detested being in the company of Orochimaru, but nevertheless, it paid well. In this case, his salary would be information.

435, 439, 440.

For the last thirty years of his life, he had been pursuing a legend. A demon with potentially infinite power at its disposal. He had been told countless times: Reibi no Menhiru was a thing of myth, a fairytale, a falsehood; but Shinou knew better. Once he gained its' power, he would destroy Hi no Kuni, who had decimated his own country in the Second Great Ninja War.

447, 453, 461.

Not that he even remotely cared for the country itself. Shinou merely used it as an excuse to recruit the surviving members of his homeland into his service.

_'Idiots are far too easy to control.'_

Honestly, a few words of camaraderie, vengeance, and triumph could convince untold masses to charge blindly into certain death. Senseless cattle, nothing more.

Shinou balled a fist as he slowed his movements until at rest. He had never quite accepted the concepts of friendship, duty, or trust. Every action was dictated by personal gain; what one could acquire through tribulation or trial. It was almost _infuriating_ how few people acknowledged this as the truth of the world.

463, 466, 468.

Take the current situation at hand. Shinou was terrified of Orochimaru, yet came, not because he felt it was his obligation, but because it would bring him closer to what _he_ desired. Shinou tried to live his life by this mandate; the equivalency of exchange. Something given for something gained.

Compensation for labor.

Shinou braced himself against the frozen wood of the decrepit building alongside him. He clutched at his chest as an unexpected chill rattled his frame.

It was not the cold that caused it.

472.

* * *

So many things equated to so little in this, or any world. The only objects that could be considered "valuable" were those that had a personal worth, a sentimental appeal. All else was trash, whether gilded or tarnished.

To Akuryou, there were few truths more exquisite than this.

Ah, but Shiryou was like a shining platinum! A pearl before swine! So fiery, so beautiful! He longed for the days past when they traveled all over the world together, just the two of them.

This dingy castle in this dark land- how trite! How _stale_ it was after so many centuries.

"Akuryou-sama."

He could not care any less about youkai or the Doushikai or any snot-nosed little prophecy child, he wanted his little Sanosuke-chan back!

Oh, how Akuryou could dress him up in cute clothes and dote on him for days on end! Oh, what a beautiful doll he was!

"Excuse me, Akuryou-sama."

He dearly hoped Sanosuke's beautiful hair was still kept long and shined as brightly as when he was a child.

"Akuryou-sama, I have the reports you requested."

He couldn't decide which size of Sanosuke he preferred. The little boy was so fragile and adorable! Oh, but when he had begun to mature he was so headstrong and cute!

But then there was the adult. So handsome, so calm, so fierce!

"I want them all!"

Kazan clapped a hand on his lord's shoulder to wake him from his reveries.

The dark lord jerked so violently he almost fell out of his throne. He adjusted his glasses, which were fake, and peered around his study for a moment. Akuryou's eyes fell on Kakan, who was sighing heavily as his hand rubbed both eyes.

"I told you to wake up-rouga."

The Taigen no Yin chuckled weakly. "So..."

"So..." His assistant repeated.

"Talking in my sleep again, was I?"

"Loudly, sir."

"And giggling?"

"Excessively, sir."

"I see... No one will know about this, right?"

"Of course not Akuryou-sama," Kakan drew a silk handkerchief from his pocket and offered it to his lord, who used it to dab at the drool left from his musing. From under his arm, he handed the dark lord a stack of files, each marked distinctly with tags and labels.

Kakan, who was dressed in the attire of a servant at the behest of his lord, watched as Akuryou began thumbing through the files absentmindedly, who was outfitted in the clothing of a daimyo.

"So far, we've got replies from Yonezu and Jintoku. Kaizoudo, being the dumb animal he is, neglected to send word, but Yonezu said he's keeping a low profile."

"Mmhm."

Kakan rolled his eyes and resisted the urge to light a cigarette. He had to act the part of a palace servant for now or his lord would begin to whine unbearably.

"Yonezu, Onigiri, and Izumi have all made contact with our network and are currently attempting to detect the child."

"Mmhm." Akuryou repeated drearily.

_'Why do I even bother?'_ "Last report sent by Jintoku suggests they are close to the Hebi matriarch, one of the seers. They have encountered numerous Enenra, but don't believe they were detected."

"I see."

"As for the Tora clan, they sent word that they are remaining nuetral for the time being. Depending on how the issue pans out, they will decide who to support."

"Of course."

"And one who is attempting to locate the Reibi no Menhiru is soon to be in the company of Orochimaru."

The dark lords' eyes seemed to twinkle merrily as he gazed at the file in hand.

"Mmhm... Now that _is_ good news..."

_

* * *

_

Screekt...screekt...screekt...

The steady rhythm of knife on whetstone softly pierced the air at regular intervals.

For what seemed like eternity, Kaizadou had sat, unmoving, occupying his time with the monotonous task of maintaining his weapons. In truth, he really didn't need the knife to be sharp, he didn't use knives in battle. Unfortunately, though, he had little choice; his preferred weapon still lay within the confines of Honkyou, heavily sealed and constantly monitored like all weapons of the Juunishito. As it slept, recovering from its' previous awakening, Kaizadou was forced to use lesser weapons.

He had outfitted himself in rough, but suitable, clothing; earth-tones for camouflage and loose enough to hide weapons in, but tight enough to not hamper his movement. Six knives, three separate pairs, were sheathed at his ankles, forearms, and thighs. A thin corded rope, fire-hardened and coated in beeswax for added strength, was wrapped around his waist, at the end of which could be attached several different tools for a more efficient fighting implement; he carried a weighted ball for it, but it was in his pack. At the back of his tent was a modified feather staff; disguised as a walking stick with a trio of sharp blades concealed inside the shaft, brought out with a sharp thrust.

His small camp was situated within a thicket of trees, just below the crest of a snow-covered hill. Kaizadou had little money, which he could not spend on a room at a cheap inn in the nearby town, as he had to purchase food. He was a fairly apt hunter, but he needed fruits and vegetables that were out of season in the wild.

Kaizadou sat alone in his tent, knife in one hand, whetstone in the other, and pondered his mission while the rhythmic droning of sharpening his weapon echoed throughout his head.

Akuryou was like a fox. Or a snake. Cunning; far too cunning for his own good. Kaizadou prided himself on his ability to stare danger in the face and laugh as he gutted it raw, but Akuryou always caused a shiver to bolt down his spine. His powers, most of which he had never shown his subordinates, were frighteningly powerful. Truly, if Yin had to choose a being to house all the darkest, most malevolent energies in existence, Akuryou was a good bet. As far as he knew, most previous attempts to create a proper Taigen no Yin had ended disasterously; Akuryou had been by far the most complete subject, not to say that the outcome after the process had been pretty.

It was difficult for Kaizadou to remember that far back. He had been near Akuryou's side for the entire campaign to bring Akuryou up from spirit to, for lack of a better term, god, as had the rest of the Juunishito. Kaizadou had been reincarnated at least fifteen times that he could remember, but it could have been ten times that number. The technique Akuryou used to reanimate their spirits back from the unholy kingdom of the dead, Yomi no Kuni, was dangerous and complicated, not all of you might come back: memories, abilities, any number of things from your past life might be forgotten.

This time, he had only been awake for about seven years, around the time Akuryou learnt that the Kyuubi had been sealed with the help of Shiryou. Kaizadou hadn't been able to lift a finger for another ten months, after that was two years of excruciating pain as his spirit continued to awaken from his dormant state.

Now here he was, alone by choice, in the Chuushin Daichi, sequestered near a grubby little town as he waited for orders. Yonezu, Onigiri, and Izumi were in various parts of the Shinobi Goukaidou prodding different informants for any information on the Kyuubi, Shiryou, or the child.

"Nuthin' to do, dammit... Piece o' shit town could at least have a decent bar... Who the fuck even heard of Hokkaishi?"

* * *

Down. Down into the earth the stairs led. Cold, lifeless concrete stairs multiplied into the distance while Shinou struggled to keep his heartbeat in check.

Orochimaru, that damnable snake-loving, fork-tongued bastard!

Lights set into the wall, just shy of the ceiling, provided dim illumination in an otherwise murky void.

Oh, how he cursed the day they had ever met! Yes, cursed it until his voice grew hoarse and body shivered, until exhaustion nearly pulled him into slumber.

The second he was not in control of a situation, his bravado left him, in its place only a quivering coward remained.

He approached an iron door, above which was a small opaque dome which undoubtedly housed a video surveillance system. Soft whirs and clicks as the camera adjusted itself and bored deep into his carcass. Yes,_ carcass_, for to it, that was all Shinou was. Nothing mattered but its' duty, its' purpose. The corpse below it was permitted through the iron orifice.

A faceless guard awaited him on the opposite side, who guided him through the network of tunnels— unnecessarily fast, in his opinion— to a chamber that ended in another iron door. The guard motioned for Shinou to wait as he walked up to the portal and knocked twice, proceeded to have a short conversation with a muffled voice, then opened the door. The masked guard gestured from his position and Shinou passed through the door, only to be met by another masked guard.

"He's been waiting," the new guard warned. Shinou's former guide shut the door behind them.

They walked down the chamber until it was bisected by another tunnel, doors set in the stone wall continued into the distance on either side in both directions. The guard turned left and walked down the tunnel to the twelfth door on his right side, removing a chained key from his neck, opening the door in a similar fashion as the previous guard. Again, Shinou passed through the opening before him, into a stifling dark void.

Behind him, the door shut sonorously, a loud click from the lock echoed eerily.

A voice; enticing, smooth, and honey-sweet, called to him.

"Welcome, my _dear, dear_ doctor..."

* * *

**Eat that.**

**Authors' Note:**

At first, I envisioned Akamizu as a heartless silent executioner, much like...say, Kimimaro, or Pain. Now it seems he's evolved into a, somewhat idealistic, absentminded wandering simpleton. He's like Hotaru, I guess, from Samurai Deeper. He gives off an air of malice, but that's most likely due to clipped speech and standoffish behavior, rather like Mori from Ouran Host Club.

I hate it when I start describing my characters through the reference of other characters.

As some of you may notice, Naruto's behavior is fairly erratic when in the company of different people. With Shiryou, he acts his age; everyone else is met with a subconsciously erected barrier around his emotions.

Jeez. Running out of things to say here... Well, along with desperately seeking inspiration, I'm doing some major storyboarding/plotlining shizz to plan out this story, and I've run into the same problem as always: I try to cram too many ideas into a story.

Whatevs. I'll deal with it. I just don't want to ruin this somewhat promising story with nonsensical crap and cliché's out the yin-yang. It's mutated from my original idea, but I think it'll turn out good.

SERIOUSLY. Need some feedback on shit. Harem, no Harem. Should he have a certain (nonsexual) encounter with a mysterious stranger? A certain (**ultrasexual**) encounter with a mysterious stranger? Death of a loved one? Uh... What else... Berserker rampage? Doubt I'll adhere to the specifics of a suggestion but other ideas help.

**ROMAJI/TRANSLATIONS/EXPLANTIONS/DICTIONARY: **Knowledge is MAX PWR.

**Saya: **Sheath

**Enrai: **distant thunder. Note that in this case, it is not a direct translation, more like "the sound of thunder in the distance is called _Enrai."_ Or whatever.

**Kiseru:** a Japanese pipe. Typically the mouth piece and bowl are made from metal, with a shaft of bamboo.

**Hamon:** as previously stated, it's the wavy discoloration of a katana, or other weapon, on the edge where the metal shifts from softer to harder temperament. Often, they are thought to be quite beautiful, if created correctly.

**Ryuu-Ou-Raiu: **Storm Dragon King.

**Rakurai: **Thunderbolt. In battle, it's not very useful in its raw form, as it could be redirected by metal.

**Raikouken: **Lightning Slash. Think... Windscar. With lightning.

**Keirakukei: **lit. Meridian System. The term for the channels within the body that transfer, build, and direct chakra.

**Binure**: (Bee-nurr-ay) Matriarch of the Hebi (Snake) youkai. She is a nure-onna, a half-snake, half woman demon. Note that this is a title, not her actual name.

**kaa-san: **a common Japanese pronoun for "mother", though this could also be used for an older woman that you might be close to and fills a motherly-ish role in your life. I'm rambling again...

**Juunishito:** lit. Twelve Apostles. They each represent, to a degree, one of the Chinese Zodiac. Without realizing it, I based them, quite loosely and completely by accident, off the Twelve Apostles from the Bible. I am not trying to quote scripture or anything, as I am Atheist, but I decided to use some of the aforementioned text's info about the Apostles. Info taken from Wikipedia, of course.

A list of Apostles already introduced & their zodiac:

Dog (Inu) Kakan

Dragon (Tatsu) Akamizu

Ox (Ushi) Onigiri

Tiger (Tora): Kaizoudo

Snake (Mi): Jintoku

Rat (Ne) Yonezu

Rabbit (U) Izumi

**Yomi no Sakai:** the "Frontier of the Dead". Note that in all of these situations, "Frontier" is equivalent to "World." I kinda like the way frontier sounds, though.

I suppose now is a good time to describe, figuratively, how the different planes of existence are situated by each other. Imagine you have three spheres. Place them at each point of a triangle, also imaginary. These represent the Kage no Sakai, Shouhei no Sakai, and the Chuushin Daichi. Now, just within these spheres, place a ring. The ring is the Sanzu no Kiwa, or the River Styx. Within the ring, there is a fourth sphere, Yomi no Sakai. The only way to travel between these worlds is along the Sanzu, and if you attempt to cross it without the Boatman's permission, your soul is dragged to Yomi no Kuni forever.

**Boatman:** self explanatory. In the Sanzu, there is but a single boat, which can carry but a single person at a time, excluding the Boatman. If you touch the waters of the Sanzu no Kiwa, your flesh will begin to dissolve and you will summon forth the Shinigami. He is also called the Ferryman, the Porter, and the Gatekeeper.

**Sanzu no Kiwa: **River of Three Gates, if memory recalls. In my use of it, the three gates refer to the three worlds that are connected to the river; Chuushin Daichi, Kage no Sakai, and Shouhei no Sakai.

**Chuushin Daichi: **lit**: "**Middle Ground." The term used for the dimensional plane the humans live on. Mostly called that because it's the only place where the demons and spirits both inhabit. It would be difficult for someone from the Arctic to move to Hawaii, or vice-versa, but it would be easier if they moved to the upper part of North America; think about it like that. I guess. I don't care.

**Nogusa no Kuni:** lit: "Country of Wild Grasses." A small, underpopulated land devastated by numerous wars fought in it's territories by larger countries that border it.

**Taichou:** Captain.

**Shunshin no Shisui: **"Shisui of the Body Flicker".

**Feather Staff:** a.k.a. "brandistock" a short spear weapon which was used by both infantry and civilians alike between the 16th and 19th centuries. Measuring some 5 feet long, the construction was unique in that it had a retractable blade. The head consisted of either a single or a trio of long thin points, which were kept in a hollow aperture inside the rest of the shaft. A sharp thrust of the weapon forward propelled the heads out, where they could be readily locked in place.


	5. Message from Myself

I did not use 'writer' or 'creator' or 'author' because I don't feel I have been able to live up to those titles. And for that, I feel a level of shame upon myself that is not easy to describe.

It has been roughly two years since I have given a decent amount of thought to this story.

I've always known I didn't have a lot of patience, and near-zero motivation. I was the kind of person that would latch onto something, go at it for a while, than drop it by the wayside for good.

This story suffered that same fate.

It has been rewritten two or three times, twisted and refined and mutilated from what it had been into what it was when I reposted the newly-conjured chapters. I knew the likelihood I could stick with the story was slim, and I wasn't wrong. Obviously so.

Many of the thoughts I had for the series during the writing phase, which consisted of almost constant fly-by-the-seat plotting, typing out whatever I thought of at that moment with little regard to planning for the future. Numerable little pieces I had thought novel or a bit interesting I know turned out to be hackneyed or tedious. I recall somewhat a bit of criticism I felt well-placed; that the characters themselves all sounded the same. No true individuality given. Initially, I tried to refute this, but it was true. I suppose it might be that I am possibly better at writing through the roleplaying of these characters than actually composing a full-fledged story with them using what writing talent I possess.

I remember the times of idly clicking through the net, arriving at my account, and looking through the few chapters I managed to charge through writing. Seeing a few mistakes and re-editing or even re-writing sizable chunks on the spot. I won't blame the shortcomings the story had on itself. Nor will I blame it on my young age upon starting the story, nor will I blame it on anything other than myself. I don't think the basic premise of the story was flawed, but the same could not be said for the one writing it. There were numerous little interactions or events or elements I wanted to incorporate into this story all at once, truly only the second story I had ever posted online, and the first of any true length. I had not the experience nor the patience, not the true drive some writers feel to flesh out the tale, which in my mind was quite expansive.

In closing, if there are still those that happen upon this story, I won't lie. The chance I will rewrite it, or finish it for that matter, is slim. As is certainly clear. Sometimes I feel like I am bursting with creative energy, which I normally channel into creating an OC for whatever fandom I happen to be interested in at the time. But far more often is the case that I am lethargic and slothful, wishing nothing more than to be in solitude, entertained by whatever passes by on the screen of my laptop.

Sincerely,

Mosca.

Formerly RM-something-or-other.


End file.
